Westfield are proposing a significant expansion of St Lukes Shopping Centre in Mt Albert by way of Private Plan Change 8.

More information on the planning process is here:

http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/district/updates/008.asp

Full version of the application: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/district/updates/t008/PM8%20notifiedversion.pdf

List of diagrams: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/documents/district/updates/t008/pm8diagrams.asp

A plan of the redevelopment:
http://www.angelfire.com/tv/jarbury/auck/stlukes.jpg

A couple of images showing the potential size of the redevelopment:
http://www.angelfire.com/tv/jarbury/auck/stlukes-1.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/jarbury/auck/stlukes-4.jpg

A some newspaper articles on it:

Bigger St Lukes would be biggest of all
4:00AM Wednesday Apr 29, 2009
By Anne Gibson

St Lukes would become New Zealand's largest mall if if Westfield NZ develops its site to the maximum.

It's indoor floor space could legally be expanded to 9.2ha, eclipsing the 7ha Sylvia Park complex in Mt Wellington.

Westfield owns much of the housing around the mall, and plans to expand to the north and east.

Derek Nolan, Westfield's lawyer at Russell McVeagh, said the maximum allowable gross floor area for Westfield's St Lukes site was 92,500sq m or 9.2ha of buildings.

Westfield could have 77,500sq m of shops, cafes and other eating places on the site as well as 15,000sq m of offices.

Mr Nolan applied to Auckland City Council for a district plan change allow the proposed expansion. On Sunday the expansion was notified and public submissions are due by May 29.

Westfield's development manager, Clive McKenzie, said the expansion could be done in stages.

The mall owner is allowed to put up buildings 20m, or about six storeys, tall. Most of the site now is low-rise.

Peter Nightingale, who lives near the mall, says the expansion would have a destructive effect on his street and bring more traffic, noise and litter. Trees would be removed and children would be unable to play in the street, he said.

Mr Nightingale has lived near St Lukes for about 30 years and shops there but expects to lose street parking. Houses would be dominated by tall concrete structures, he said. Westfield had only been able to buy key properties in his street lately, allowing the expansion, he said.

Glenda Fryer from the local community board has also vowed to fight the mall's expansion.

Westfield proposes to solve any traffic issues at an expanded St Lukes by building more than 1000 new carparks and emphasising public transport options including buses outside the centre and the Morningside Railway Station just 800m away.

Westfield's social effects assessment - a mandatory report by Taylor Baines & Associates - cited:

Traffic volumes on the surrounding streets leading to congestion, noise and pollution.

Poor use of the carparking areas.

Staff from the mall parking on the surrounding streets and shoppers parking on streets at peak times.

Difficulties with pedestrian access and safety via the footpaths and road crossings surrounding the mall.

Visual effects of a large and somewhat unwelcoming building in the shape of the current mall.

Nuisance issues like traffic and crime such as St Lukes being a hotspot for car theft and bag snatching.

Expanding the mall would allow Westfield to address some of these issues, the report said.

The world's largest shopping centre owner last month to devalued its 12 New Zealand malls by $210.8 million and some shops in its malls are vacant, although a spokeswoman has said shops were covered up while being refurbished.

Attempts to sell malls at Glenfield - devalued from $194 million to $146 million - and Pakuranga have failed and Westfield has shelved plans to develop its Downtown mall in Auckland's CBD.

Work on Westfield's expansion of 277 in Newmarket last year resulted in large-scale demolition of buildings between the existing centre and Gillies Ave. But that site has been idle for months.

Crikey, is the Herald too poor for editors these days?
"...largest mall if if Westfield NZ develops its site to the maximum"????
"It's indoor floor space..."

Owners plan to make big mall even bigger
4:00AM Tuesday Apr 28, 2009
By Anne Gibson

The shopping centre's owners say the redevelopment would add offices and restaurants to create a ``town centre'' effect. Photo / Supplied.The owners of St Lukes shopping centre have unveiled plans to expand the busy mall.

Westfield NZ wants to extend the centre out to the north and east, and build surrounding restaurants and office space.

The company wants a new town centre or "mainstreet-type" development on St Lukes' northern boundaries between Exeter Rd and Aroha Ave.

Diagrams show a new maximum building envelope, although Westfield said these needed refinement.

The company said that the long-term plan could expand retail space by about a third over the next 25 years.

But community leaders are vowing to stop what they claim would be the over-development of the site.

Eden/Albert Community Board member Councillor Glenda Fryer said the board would oppose the expansion.

"They're dreaming. It's horrific. Residents are quiet fearful about traffic and dominance.

"A modest do-up would be accepted but Westfield has gone over the top, trying to impose an Australian or American mall solution."

Residents around Aroha Ave on St Lukes' northern side had already complained about more traffic, noise and litter, she said.

In its application for a plan change, Westfield said the Mt Albert Library and Citizens' Advice Bureau should be shifted to the north of St Lukes as part of a rethink of the wider area.

The library, between the mall and Cornwallis St, was the second-most patronised library in Auckland City's boundaries, Westfield said.

Yet it would function better if it was moved to St Lukes' northern side as part of a new mainstreet-style shopping, restaurant and office precinct.

Auckland City's urban design panel and council officers had expressed
support for shifting the library and bureau.

But Ms Fryer said Westfield really wanted more entries to St Lukes, hence the Aroha/Exeter plans.

Westfield said the library and bureau were not part of the current proposal, but the move was anticipated.

The mall owner also wants to extend St Lukes out to the east and develop pedestrian links from the mall to Morningside Drive, Cornwallis St and Warren Freer Park.

Westfield particularly wants Auckland City to rezone its big land bank which ring-fences the mall, granting permission to develop up to 15,000sq m of offices, which is enough for about 1000 workers.

Changes to the city's district plan need to allow the expansion were notified on Sunday, and people have until May 29 to make submissions.

Westfield owns many properties around the Sandringham mall but has applied for those to be re-zoned to enable the push out and up.

Westfield said it wanted to let surrounding property owners know the full extent of its expansion plans.

Said planners Bentley and Co: "The purpose of the proposed plan change is to enable the future expansion of Westfield St Lukes in a planned and co-ordinated manner and to signal to the neighbours of the centre the anticipated full extent of that expansion."

A spokesman for Westfield said: "Since the centre was originally built in 1971, shopping habits and lifestyles of the surrounding community have changed. Westfield has implemented the initial process towards ensuring

St Lukes is at the heart of a well-functioning town-centre for this local area.

"The design, visual and amenity improvements to Westfield St Lukes will integrate with the current and hopefully future upgrades to public transport services.

"The plan change will complement the review by council of the existing district plan for the general surrounding area which has been designated
as a business development area for the region and St Lukes would be able to add to provision of the amenities required by the community over time.
"Given we are only in the early planning stages, we have yet to make decisions regarding the extent or timing of future developments," the spokesman said.

"Any such developments are likely to be staged over a considerable period of time. We are excited about the potential outcomes, including much needed job creation in construction and retail.

Shops had been developed more intensely in Newmarket and Sylvia Park had opened, all in response to rising shopper demand.

Yet expansion in the western area was lagging so it was natural for St Lukes to push north and east, Westfield said.

"With Westfield NZ owning a substantial area of land to the north of and adjoining the existing Westfield St Lukes shopping centre, the expansion of this well-established and strategically located centre is anatural choice for providing more retail space to address demand," Bentley said.

Shops would be "in-filled" up to the boundary of Morningside Drive and St Lukes Rd.

All shops would face outwards towards the streets and bus stops on Morningside Drive should be shifted to "safer and more convenient locations" opposite the Exeter Rd intersection, Westfield said.

ST LUKES

THEN:
NZ's first fully enclosed mall
*1971: established.
*1991: expanded.
*2003: cinemas added.

NOW:
*One supermarket (Foodtown);
*Two department stores (Farmers and Kmart).
*131 specialty shops.
*3 banks and 2018 carparks.
*644-seat food court.
*640-seat cinema complex.

FUTURE:
*Move adjacent library/Citizens' Advice Bureau.
*Develop 15,000sq m office space.
*Link streets on northern boundary.
*Refocus mall to face outwards.
*Build out on the north and east sides.
*Create new "main street" town centre

I'm putting together a pretty detailed submission on this.

Key points so far:

1) Cut back the proposed 40m height limit to 25m. 40m is EXTREME
2) Make the link between Exeter Road and Aroha Avenue pedestrian only. Achieves the same urban design benefits but without increasing traffic to Aroha Avenue.
3) Find ways to promote more public transport use. One way to do this is to limit the amount of floorspace that can be developed according to the share of mall visitors using public transport. Currently it's 8%, if Westfield gets it to 12% then they get to develop another 10,000m2, get it to 20% and then they can go the whole hog.
4) Limit parking provision to what's there at the moment. This encourages more public transport use and also will mean that congestion in the area won't get worse.

I'd add that they'd need to make sure that the facade needs to have something to make sure that it doesn't end up looking like an even bigger freaking box than it already is, though making sure that there are shops facing the road should help with this.

Yeah ensuring a better urban design outcome is critical for this project. If done well, it could have significantly positive effects. However, I'm somewhat concerned that it will just become a bigger box.

It is becoming a race to be the biggest shopping centre in the country. Sylvia Park, Albany and Botany Downs will all vie for the top spot. My question is, when will they finally build a shopping centre with around 90,000 sq.m of retail space.?:banana:

^^
My question is, in these times of economic doom and gloom, do we need a 90,000sqm shopping centre?

Probably will happen within a decade when things start to pick up.

In my city they started work on a 1million sq foot shopping mall and have put it on hold for at least a year! People at the moment can't afford to splash out so the race for the biggest is not a priority at the mo.

Apparently there hasn't been a single traditional mall built in the USA for the past two years. They're all shifting to more traditional town centre redevelopments.... which is great news. Get with the times NZ.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5386W220090410

^^ True, there hasn't been a "traditional" mall built in America for a long time, however, there has been an insideous shift towards strip-malls instead which are even worse than the centralised indoor variety.

There is quite the argument in the International Forum about this currently.

Westfield has been given permission to double the size of its St Lukes shopping centre, making it the country's biggest, despite protests by local residents.

Independent planning commissioners have recommended Auckland City Council approve the shopping centre owner's scheme.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10675209

What I hate is that every extra shop built in St Lukes is one less in the CBD. (OK, that's not quite the ratio, but you get my point - malls suck the life out of the CBD.) I think Auckland is better if the city is the city and the suburbs are the suburbs. The people who live around St. Lukes would probably agree. I would much prefer if Westfield built in the CBD instead.

Jarbury - you said you're making a submission. Where exactly can we make a submisison?

Ah wonderful... Isn't Auckland a bit over-saturated with large malls at the moment? They continue to kill smaller shopping areas, concentrating services at one point and making people travel further and further to get to them.

Botany killed the mall in the centre of Howick (it is now officially a completely dead shell and such an eyesore). I wonder if St Luke's expansion will also serve to remove amenities from the vicinity...

As I said back in April 2009, I hope they take the opportunity to improve the facade...but I wouldn't hold my breath.

This redevelopment seems to be coming so soon after the last one (2003 wasn't all that long ago and even the opening of the 1991 expansion still feels like yesterday!) and the thought just occurred to me that this current redevelopment plan is actually what Westfield originally wanted to do for St Lukes back in 2001 but for whatever reason went with a much smaller expansion.

Westfield proposes to solve any traffic issues at an expanded St Lukes by building more than 1000 new carparks...
WTF?! :cheers:


There needs to be a comprehensive design for this entire area (morningside/st lukes). It's grown ad-hoc for too long and risks becoming a horrible congested slum.

If so much money is being spent on expansion, surely a lot can go toward better streets, parks, housing and services.

Roads around St Lukes are an absolute nightmare as it is. Try getting to the motorway between midday and 4.00pm on a Sat - its impossible. I avoid that area like the plague. Which is hard when I lived nearby, recently moved thank god.

All that stress for what is in reality a ratty little mall with bugger all appeal.

They need to radically redesign the whole area, not just their little (big) patch of land.

Roads around St Lukes are an absolute nightmare as it is. Try getting to the motorway between midday and 4.00pm on a Sat - its impossible. I avoid that area like the plague. Which is hard when I lived nearby, recently moved thank god.

All that stress for what is in reality a ratty little mall with bugger all appeal.

They need to radically redesign the whole area, not just their little (big) patch of land.

I actually tried walking up to St Lukes one day instead of driving up. Wow, that was a joke and a half. It's next to impossible to do! :(

I actually tried walking up to St Lukes one day instead of driving up. Wow, that was a joke and a half. It's next to impossible to do! :(

^^
My Brother and sister inlaw live close by in Mt Albert.
They avoid the place like the plague...for rthe same reasons as you have reviewed.
Im struggling to see how they can siginificantly expand this mall within the confines of inner city suburbia...and make it work?

so is it too late to make a submission - does anyone know?

Botany killed the mall in the centre of Howick (it is now officially a completely dead shell and such an eyesore). I wonder if St Luke's expansion will also serve to remove amenities from the vicinity...

True point, but at least it is getting redeveloped into apartments! Howick will have a future with more apartment/terrace style urban living

St Lukes expansion on hold
By Anne Gibson
5:30 AM Friday Sep 24, 2010

St Lukes would double in size. Photo / Steven McNicholl
A decision on a plan to double the size of St Lukes shopping centre was last night deferred for new reports after angry reactions from local residents.

Independent assessments done for the Auckland City Council this week recommended Westfield's plan to create New Zealand's largest mall be approved.

But councillors deferred the decision pending a report from council officers. They said they would decide before their council was disbanded on October 31.

Angry residents around Westfield St Lukes called in a specialist lawyer to fight the plan.

The St Lukes Community Association hired Wellington lawyer Mai Chen, of public law specialists Chen Palmer following the independent assessment last week.

Ms Chen said she had sought assurances from mayor John Banks that the council would not accept the report which would allow the 4.5ha Auckland mall, with cinemas and supermarkets, to become a 9.2ha giant.

Westfield says lack of facilities in the area created a strong demand for more shops.

But association chairman Graham Dekker says 1920s bungalows will soon face 10-storey mall facades if the plans go ahead. Traffic, noise, nuisance and the urban environment were all cited.

Ms Chen yesterday circulated a letter to councillors imploring them not to accept the report or back Westfield, which she claimed would leave the Super City in an impossible position, as both appellant and respondent.

"The association opposes the plan change and has filed submissions against it as have many of its members," Ms Chen's letter said.

"They are concerned that it will, if adopted, permanently change the character of the St Lukes area and represent a fundamental change to their lives and community.

"The association is concerned that a decision of such fundamental importance to the Auckland community should not be rushed through.

"The council has no democratic or political mandate to commit the Auckland community to the plan change and should therefore postpone making any decision in the interests of local democracy."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4354196/Auckland-mega-mall-gets-the-tick

Boo what a bad idea, the area can barely handle the amount of traffic that goes through there now and this is going to be another significant blow to inner city shops, what a disappointing outcome. :(

The reaction of the councillors moaning abuot getting a "hospital pass" is ridiculous. The decision to defer the decision was made so that its approval or otherwise would be owned by the new council going forward, not the old one left behind. It was recognised that a body representing all Aucklanders should have responsibility for this.

Because, you know, this is what Councils do. For Mike Lee and co to moan about having to make the decision is disingeuous at the least. If time is an issue, they could easily have voted down the report and erquested a new process.

No, what the new councillors are pissed at is having their name linked to what could potentially be a terrible project. Tough - that's what being a public representatvie is all about. If you don't like it then don't stand for office. If you don't like the project, don't vote for it.

What I hate is that every extra shop built in St Lukes is one less in the CBD. (OK, that's not quite the ratio, but you get my point - malls suck the life out of the CBD.) I think Auckland is better if the city is the city and the suburbs are the suburbs. The people who live around St. Lukes would probably agree. I would much prefer if Westfield built in the CBD instead.

Jarbury - you said you're making a submission. Where exactly can we make a submisison?

Submissions were made last year I'm afraid. Council has approved the decision so now we just await someone to appeal it.

This will be a large shopping centre, Sylvia Park is also expanding as well and it would also be highly likely that Albany and Botany Downs would be in the near future. My question is will St Lukes be the biggest by the time this redevelopment happens or not?