Heritage precincts win court's backing

A four-year battle to preserve a slice of early history in inner-city Auckland has resulted in stronger heritage controls across the wider central business district.

After battling plans for a 17-storey apartment block in Eden Cres and unsuccessfully lobbying the Auckland City Council for a heritage precinct in the area, the Official Bay Heritage Protection Society has won a bigger battle in the Environment Court.

The court has ruled that the council should strengthen heritage controls in central Auckland so that new developments have regard to nearby scheduled heritage items.

The council had proposed restricting heritage rules for new buildings to abutting or adjacent scheduled heritage buildings, and to building frontages and elevations facing streets and/or public open spaces.

The court said the rules did not mean a rigid adherence to the height of the scheduled heritage item, nor reduce the development potential of a site, "but it does require careful consideration to minimise the effects of dominance on the scheduled heritage item".

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Posted: 10 Jan 2009

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