THE ANTIPODEAN | Cancelled | 39 levels - 120 metres

[GBH]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum so forgive me if this thread is in the wrong place.
I live in the UK and am looking at property investment abroad. I have found a site advertising the Antipodean on Queen St. Aukland. Having done the due diligence bit, I placed my initial deposit down having been informed ground would be broken at the end of October 05.
I fortunately haven't paid any more money but am lead to believe that full planning permission is yet to be granted. Further info on this is hard to come by in the UK so I thought I'd register here and see if anyone knew any more than I do.
Cheers
GBH
P.S. I now know my due diligence was crap and it is an issue I have beaten myself up about

I forgot to include that I think the developers name is a Mr Paul Doole?

[Marky Mark]

Originally Posted by GBH

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum so forgive me if this thread is in the wrong place.
I live in the UK and am looking at property investment abroad. I have found a site advertising the Antipodean on Queen St. Aukland. Having done the due diligence bit, I placed my initial deposit down having been informed ground would be broken at the end of October 05.
I fortunately haven't paid any more money but am lead to believe that full planning permission is yet to be granted. Further info on this is hard to come by in the UK so I thought I'd register here and see if anyone knew any more than I do.
Cheers
GBH
P.S. I now know my due diligence was crap and it is an issue I have beaten myself up about

I forgot to include that I think the developers name is a Mr Paul Doole?

As far as I know , Yes this Project has been held up in Planning ! The main objection being the Building was to High and Too Bulky for the site and had to be re-designed ! Thats the last I heard late last year , and haven't heard anything since , I'm suprised the developers or who ever you purchased your Apartment from hasn't kept you up to Date !
Will see if we can find out a bit more Buddy !

[Marky Mark]

Not Late last Year but 2004 !

Anyways a couple of Large Mystery Projects have recently been given the Green Light in Auckland , Hopefully yours is one of them !

This is the Report from 2004

07.12.04
By BRIAN RUDMAN and BERNARD ORSMAN


The High Court has overturned a resource consent for a 36-storey apartment building on the site of the historic St James Theatre in Queen St and ordered Auckland City Council to reconsider the application.

The council had granted a "non-notified" resource consent to developers Norfolk Trustee Company Ltd for what Justice Patrick Keane said would become one of the largest buildings in Auckland. The application would therefore escape the public scrutiny expected under the Resource Management Act.

Justice Keane said council officials had become "myopically" fixated on heritage issues and almost ignored the design of the tower block, which would be almost as high as the 40-level Metropolis apartments.

He said that "even a cursory glance at the plans and elevations ... suggests at once that it is the tower block by its sheer mass and height, which will define this building from the street.

"Yet this reality is not remarked on, except in passing, in any documents that council's committee was given to consider. Nor were its implications under the design criteria spelt out."

Justice Keane rejected Auckland City's argument that it could not set out rules on design.

He said a purpose of the act was to enable people and communities to provide for their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.

Therefore, aesthetics were "an indispensable concern in every planning regime and for every consent authority."

The decision is a victory for urban design lobby group Urban Auckland, which had sought a judicial review of the August 2003 resource consent. The group contended that the specialist council report into this development - on one of the most central, public, historic, prominent and visible locations in urban New Zealand - had devoted just three paragraphs to the design of the tower block.

Spokesman Don McRae said it was a landmark decision that was desperately needed.

Auckland City planning director Dr Jill McPherson welcomed the decision, saying it allowed the council to give more weight to urban design issues - a key goal for Mayor Dick Hubbard and the new council.

Dr McPherson said the council had been unsure of the legal status of its urban design panel, set up last year to vet and improve the architecture of new central city buildings. It could now use the panel with more confidence.

"The Resource Management Act doesn't state urban design as an issue that we can look at. We have been advocating to Government that urban design go into revisions under way at the moment because we didn't think it was strong enough."

Dr McPherson said the council asked developer Paul Doole to submit the apartment tower to the urban design panel but he declined.

Speaking from Australia yesterday, Mr Doole said he would be reviewing "all paths" for the project.

He did not wish to make any other comment on the the future of the apartment tower, which involved restoring the historic Spanish mission-style theatre built in 1928, exposing an obscured tower covered by claddings since the 1950s and demolishing the former Odeon/Regent/Westend picture theatre buildings.

[Marky Mark]

In Feb 2005 http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/coun.../m20050216.asp can't find anything since then though !

[GBH]

Thank you for the info guys. Ironically I've had a phonecall this morning from the UK agents saying that as of Friday the council and plannimng commitee finally gave consent, so hopefully it is now a case of waiting until it is constructed and hoping you guys have a property boom in the meantime

Apologies for my poor spelling of Auckland

Cheers

[GBH]

Sorry, reading the replies again, I see that it was simply you replying Marky Mark. Thanx for the help mate, I appreciate it.
I agree that the UK agent has been a bit lax with regard to info and I took my angry head out of the box and deployed fury .
They went with the usual "we don't have any more info" line

[Marky Mark]

That is excellent News ! Yes another biggee for Auckland , lets hope the design ... well Height etc wasn't reduced too much !

[mtb_nz]

the initial renders of the Antipodean make it look like a huge building... i still think that they should have gone up higher than having it so bulky... but its a cool design anyway

[flyin_higher]

Originally Posted by Marky Mark

That is excellent News ! Yes another biggee for Auckland , lets hope the design ... well Height etc wasn't reduced too much !

I think the Environment Court ruling had more to do with the aesthetics of the building rather than the simple fact of its height/bulk. It happens alot in the planning process, because the RMA doesn't specifically allow for consideration of design issues.

[bazzjw]

http://www.propbd.co.nz/afa.asp?idWe...&SID=878267239
c this for an update guys

[Marky Mark]

At least it has kept its height !

[NZGSR]

Dam nice building wish chch would get one like that lol

[Blade]

on one hand i like it...on the other it looks like an apartment building from Moscow! Any other renders you got up ur sleeve marky?

[Neitzsche]

I think its a definite improvement. The design isn't as cohesive as the original, but the materials are alot better. Glass and stone go well together. Looks like the mix will be similar to the Trinity apartments in Parnell. Does look like she's lost a bit of height.

[SYDNEY]

I love the new look - it blends in with the environment, the old design was very stark. This is far more contemporary, it reminds me of the building set in Sim City 5

The article suggests that it will be the same height as The Metropolis ?? If so, Aucklands skyline is in danger of "flattening" out - The Stanley will also be the same height. The Chancery will be the same height and now The Antipodean .. we need a supertall to give some definition to the skyline .. I am not complaining though, the height is very impressive.

BRING IT ON !

[KingKong1]

when you compare the two it becomes clear that the new design is best. however it does look as though it may have lost a little height, but still has the same amount of apartments.

[Marky Mark]

Originally Posted by Neitzsche

I think its a definite improvement. The design isn't as cohesive as the original, but the materials are alot better. Glass and stone go well together. Looks like the mix will be similar to the Trinity apartments in Parnell. Does look like she's lost a bit of height.

Thats very similar to a few new Blocks here in Melbourne ! Don't mind it now !

[spotila]

It's gorgeous! And what an amazing render.

[rickster2k]

The first design was a bit of a clone of Metropolis (style anyway)

Top building!

[Loafer]

I like the new look, will fit in well with the stanley.