Sometimes it is good to go back to go forward (bit like daylight saving).
This post is a brief snapshot of the recent HOUSING journey for New Brighton.
In November 2005, an address at 208 Marine Pde (opposite the playground), sold to a developer for an incredible price at that time of $600k (purchased for just over $100k twenty years earlier). In its place was to be an 8-storey apartment block with each around $400 – 500,000 price tag.
The very happy seller publicly advised neighbours not to sell for anything less than one million dollars, such was the potential of Marine Parade, in his opinion (remember this was 16 years ago).
Meanwhile a Christchurch City Council team had been looking into New Brighton revitalisation options for some time, including the possibility of extending the existing 3-storey building height limit to allow high-rise residential development.
Council planners decided a single, comprehensive study would be a better way of considering the capacity and desirability of taller buildings allowing inhabitants to have sea views.
The 2006 public submissions period attracted more than 600 people to the New Brighton Club to view different scenarios for high-rise on Marine Parade, within the area bound by Rawhiti Domain, south to Shackleton Street, and around the general New Brighton Mall business zone.
More than 350 written responses from individuals along with groups, presented a wide range of opinions. Some wanted to retain the low-rise village atmosphere, others favoured taller buildings and higher densities, but most respondents rejected a ‘Gold Coast glitter and glass’ look and wanted a variety of local character.
In the midst of this debate, a Queenstown developer announced the first high-rise seven storey apartment block in New Brighton to be called ‘Pier Tower’ on Marine Parade with “million-dollar views”.
Also in 2006, wealthy landowner Anthony Gough (recent former owner of The Wave Bar block top end of the Mall) entered the debate stating, “New Brighton will never experience an economic boom unless the zoning is changed as proposed by the City Council.”
Gough was chairman of the ‘New Brighton Taskforce’ with the intent of revitalising the commercial hub and described as “madness” the fact residents on the foreshore lived in houses with no view of the sea, and he was right behind multi-storey apartments.
Battle lines were drawn…on the one side the developers and business owners, on the other the New Brighton Residents Association, one local city councillor and a few other groups.
Hailed by developers as-a-way to kick-start regeneration of the beach suburb, most residents however feared tall buildings would “destroy the New Brighton community” and “allow for a wall of buildings along Marine Pde.”
The New Brighton Residents Association pointed out existing residents behind these high-rise buildings would be badly affected by loss of sunlight, wind funnelling, and privacy.”
In fact, NBRA was so disgusted about the decision-making process around development of the central area, it questioned whether there was any point in continuing and went into recess not helped by the quake aftermath.
In the meantime, land bankers had allowed their seafront properties to become run-down in the long wait for a planning decision (and a few remain that way today).
One developer (who still owns property on central Marine Pde 12 years on) said: “We are very pleased. It has been a long time coming and there has been an awful lot of uncertainty over what would be allowed.
“The unfortunate thing is, if the decision had come some years ago there might well be some apartments there now.”
So, what happened ?
During the four years it took to enact the planning change allowing taller buildings in New Brighton, the economy slipped into a recession.
One prime Marine Pde site suitable for a high-rise development ended up in a mortgagee sale due to a lack of interest from developers.
In hindsight one could say: “What were they thinking?”
It was not going to work for several reasons, and the economic downturn merely brought to a merciful end to a likely disaster for New Brighton.
An observer only had to look across the estuary to see the future unfold like a pack of apartments…
The seven-storey ‘Waters Edge’ complex built in Ferrymead in 2008 at a cost of $38 million, in the face of a lot of local opposition and originally designed to be 14 levels.
Wrecked by earthquakes and demolished in 2012, the legal fall-out continues to this day of former apartment owners.
The last effort at multi-level developments came a couple of years back on the Parade with a 40 plus flamboyant apartment complex with pool destined for just south of Beresford St, and that land now sits bare, apart from one big bus.
A more recent achievable twenty-million-dollar 3 level complex on the old Esplanade Tavern site promoted by a Tauranga based company could have succeeded, but the plan was described as poorly managed from design to marketing, and few if any sold from the plan.
A new developer is currently looking at townhouses for this site with a retail ground floor mix.
In between times, on that same location, emerged the spectacular drawing of a creative architect with a far bigger concept in mind, someone labelled ‘Tadpole Towers’.
In summary a history of poor judgement, bad timing, and lack of engagement has previously plagued housing in New Brighton.
A new and much improved housing march has begun. The time appears right, the planning better, although the changing market forces and mortgage interest rates may have some influence.