An attempt to halt shonky development and bad architecture passing for urban renewal in Auckland City is being launched by Mayor Dick Hubbard with the aid of politicians, planners, developers and architects.
Sunday, March 20th 2005, 5:07AM
by The Landlord
Mr Hubbard, who expressed concern during his election campaign about high-density developments becoming "ghetto areas", yesterday announced a mayoral taskforce to overhaul the city's lax development controls.
"I'm putting the property development business in Auckland on notice that I'm deadly serious about urban design and that in future we will not have low-quality, inappropriately sited developments."
Outside an "apartment of shoeboxes" being built in Nelson St in the central city, Mr Hubbard said he wanted the council to "dictate" what kind of developments were acceptable and vet every new building under strict urban design criteria.
Armed with a landmark High Court decision stating the council could set rules on design, Mr Hubbard said the council would insist on an aesthetically pleasing city environment that people would be proud of.
