Western Reclamation

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The Western Reclamation (also known as Wynyard Point, Wynyard Wharf or Tank Farm, though these strictly designate only parts of the whole), is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitemata Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront in Auckland City, New Zealand.

It is located to the north of Freemans Bay and to the west of the Viaduct Basin. Much of the area is as of 2007 still covered by petrol and liquid chemical storage facilities of Ports of Auckland and various other companies, giving the area its 'Tank Farm' moniker. However, major changes are proposed for the coming decades, with the area intended to be redeveloped into a mixed-use residential-commercial area, with a major park along the eastern edge and at the northern point of the area.

Contents 1 History 2 Redevelopment 2.1 Initial plans 2.2 Project scope 2.3 Funding 3 Harbour Crossing 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Early usage

The Western Reclamation was progressively constructed by the Auckland Harbour Board, of which Ports of Auckland (POAL) is the successor. The last components of the reclamation (Wynyard Wharf) were being completed in 1930 and provided the growing harbour with additional berthage capacity and increased land for port activities. Initially used mainly by the timber trade, it was slowly transferred to the current usage for bulk petro-chemical storage.^[1]

Current usage

Currently, the area is still used by the bulk liquid industry, with 500,000 tonnes of liquids and cement being transported via Wynyard Wharf per year. This provides NZ$ 1.2 billion of yearly turnover, and 4000 jobs in the Auckland economy. There are also a total of more than 100 marine companies around area, with a NZ$ 400 million yearly turnover, exporting items worth NZ$ 120 million per year. Three fishing fleets, Moana Pacific, Sanford and Simunovich, are also based in the area.^[2]

The Great Barrier Island car and passenger ferry service by SeaLink connects to the island from a terminal at the base of Wynyard Wharf. The company is currently seeking clarification of its future facilities in the area, as their lease runs out in 2010, and it is unlikely to invest a planned NZ$ 19 million into a new terminal or start using a new, faster ferry vessel before legal concerns are sorted out. An ARC planning committee has noted that it supports the further provision of the ferry service in the area, though there had previously been concerns about the island freight shipping not fitting into the redevelopment vision of the area (see below).^[3]

[edit] Redevelopment

[edit] Initial plans

Ports of Auckland still owned 18ha of the 35ha site as of 2006,^[4] when it was decided that the land was to be transferred to a special holding company, which would be owned by the Auckland Regional Council (as is POAL).^[5] As was noted on the Tank Farm website in 2006:

"Changes in bulk liquid transportation, the advent of the pipeline from Marsden Point, and the progressive expiration of industrial leases in the reclamation means that Ports of Auckland's land is becoming a precinct in search of a new purpose."

Following similar declarations by Auckland City and the Auckland Regional Council, political and design processes are currently (2006-2007) underway to define the future shape of the area, a process that will take up to 20 years. One of the main public inputs at that time was a wish for increased waterfront access, as well as the desire for more parkland on the point. However, some of these wishes were muted from political sources, as the redevelopment of the area is to be paid by the development of residential areas, with the available land for this use shrinking with an increase of the proposed park space. Already mostly agreed on was a bridge connecting the new quarter to the Viaduct Basin.^[5]

Early plans intended to name the new area 'Kahurangi', Māori for 'blue/precious jewel'. This has now been replaced with 'Wynyard Quarter', though it is still generally referred to as Tank Farm, including when talking about the whole Western Reclamation.^[6]

[edit] Project scope

First Stage

In June 2007, more detailed concept plans were published after a year of negotiation between stakeholders. In the first stage of the redevelopment, the eastern section of the Western Reclamation, along Jellicoe Street, is to be turned into an entertainment strip, to complement similar areas on the eastern side of the Viaduct Basin, and to be completed in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. This area is to be linked to the Auckland CBD via a new 'Te Wero' bridge, to be constructed as a lift- or swing bridge after an international design competition, and expected to cost around NZ$ 35 million. Work on this first stage could start in 2008, pending consultation and appeals.^[7][8]

Later Stages

In a next stage, a large 'point park' of 4.25 ha is to be developed on Wynyard Point, with another park strip along the east side of Wynyard Wharf. This larger design followed wide public complaints in 2006 about the new development being dominated by apartments. The layout of the park is also to be decided via an international design competition, and would leave space for a so far unidentified landmark public building. The park would include about 2.4 km of waterfront access, and would be linked with Victoria Park via a 40 m wide tree-lined boulevard and a NZ$ 5 million pedestrian bridge. This work would would likely take place between 2014 and 2017, after commercial leases in the area run out.^[7][8] Other areas in the Western Reclamation will remain set aside for marine industry, with the main bulk of land being developed as apartments, with some associated smaller-scale retail and entertainment areas.^[9]

One matter of contention, as became visible during previous consultation, is the future building height of the residential areas. After proposed 10-16 storey buildings proposed in 2006 met strong opposition, the current (July 2007) design envisages only a small number of 14 storey towers, with the main apartment strips along the eastern side of Wynyard Wharf being no higher than seven storeys at the road, stepping down to three storeys at the water's edge.^[10]

The new Western Reclamation zone is to be dominated by public transport, with the targeted transport mix being 70% public transport / walking / cycling and 30% motor vehicle, a reversal of the typical modal share in Auckland City. Ferries are also mooted as possible connections.^[8]

Cruise ship terminal

With new plans to open up the Auckland waterfront for more public access, the lack of sufficient cruise ship berthing space has entered the public discussion early 2008. This led to considerations that a new terminal could be built on the Western Reclamation. A major negative point for this usage would however be the short-term (from 2010 on) need for more cruise ship space, while the tank farm is unlikely to be redeveloped less than a decade in the future.^[11]

[edit] Funding

The public infrastructure costs of redeveloping the Western Reclamation were first estimated at around NZ$ 400 million in 2006, of which between 5 per cent and 10 per cent are expected to be spent on cleanup of soil contamination due to petrochemicals.^[4] In 2007, this was updated to NZ$ 504 million (with the whole project, including the private investment, expected to cost more than NZ$ 2 billion). Most of the public infrastructure costs, NZ$ 349 million, are expected to be carried by development contributions, with NZ$ 112 million from Auckland Regional Holdings and NZ$ 43 million from Auckland City Council.^[7][12]

[edit] Harbour Crossing

Earlier feasibility studies saw the possible terminus of a new Waitemata Harbour Crossing (possibly as a tunnel) at Wynyard Point.^[13] These have now been shelved by Transit New Zealand, with one remaining option being a longer tunnel to surface near Fanshawe Street or further south along Cook Street, possibly with an underground public transport station somewhere underneath the Tank Farm.^[8] A less likely option has also been proposed by Mike Lee, Auckland Regional Council chairman, who suggested a tunnel underneath the Auckland CBD to emerge east of the city centre at Stanley Street, thus avoiding the Central Motorway Junction and city centre traffic.^[14]

The plans to connect the new quarter with Victoria Park would make a cut-and-cover tunnel construction possible along the length of the planned Daldy Street boulevard in the Western Reclamation, providing for two public transport and two private vehicle lanes. Light rail was also mentioned as a long-term possibility. However, as it is unlikely that the harbour tunnel section would be built before 2020 earliest, coordination with the development of the new quarter would pose some difficulties.^[8][15]

[edit] See also

• Auckland CBD
• Auckland waterfront
• Viaduct Basin
• Westhaven Marina

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sea + City (Western Reclamation project website of Auckland Regional Holdings)
• Western Reclamation & Viaduct Harbour (PDF) (concept document from Auckland City Council)

• Western Reclamation is at coordinates 36°50′28″S 174°45′21″E / -36.841160, 174.755730 (Western Reclamation)Coordinates: 36°50′28″S 174°45′21″E / -36.841160, 174.755730 (Western Reclamation)