Protecting a framework so many Wellingtonians support

OPINION: Wellington Waterfront has got it right so far and will continue to, writes Ian Pike.

Waterfront Watch has made a significant contribution in the past to the thoughtful development of Wellington's waterfront. More recently, with its opposition to the development of the Overseas Terminal and now the Kumutoto area of the waterfront, I believe it is holding up a barrier to an agreed vision for the waterfront.

The question I now ask myself is: "Is Waterfront Watch a rebel without a cause?" Fifteen years ago it had to contend with Variation 17 and the development of the events and retail centres - buildings that have been heavily criticised and with justification.

In response to these unfortunate developments commissioned more than 15 years ago, and the work of Wellington Civic Trust and others, Wellington City Council produced the Wellington Waterfront Framework to guide the development of the area.

The council also established the Technical Advisory Group, an independent group of architecture and design experts, who review all waterfront developments and ensure they fit within the framework and meet exacting quality standards.

A lot has happened since Variation 17 and the building of the events and retail centres. Wellington Waterfront has delivered 35 national and international award- winning projects - Waitangi Park, Kumutoto, the Meridian Building to name a few.

The framework document has been formally recognised for the role it has played in guiding exceptional outcomes.

Wellington's waterfront has been rated as one of the best public spaces in New Zealand and Australia.

Our model has been so successful it is being emulated in Auckland.

Year after year, resident satisfaction surveys tell us Wellingtonians are extremely pleased and proud of their waterfront. Figures are consistently in the 90 per cent plus range.

The framework doesn't mean we stop listening; every step of the way we seek public input. We encourage input through our website, the Waterfront Project Information Centre, feedback forms, open days, or new initiatives such as the Outer-T ideas competition. Formal feedback is always sought through the public consultation process. Wellington Waterfront projects are subject to extensive scrutiny - by design experts, the council and the public. And rightly so.

We have run independent focus groups that tell us that the over-55 age bracket want it to stay the same, and the younger teen set tell us the waterfront is boring - somewhere we need to find the balance.

The framework has helped the city take a series of steps towards its vision of the waterfront as a special, welcoming place to live, work and play, with beautiful and inspiring spaces and architecture that connect our city to the sea, and protect our heritage for future generations. At the end of the development, more than 70 per cent of the waterfront will remain as public and open space.

The process of bringing the waterfront to life continues. Currently we're looking at encouraging investment in more of the commercial development anticipated in the framework for the Kumutoto area.

This area, to the north of Queens Wharf and closest to the CBD, was identified as the best location on the waterfront to have more density of building.

The proposed buildings and other award-winning buildings that have gone before them will pay for the ongoing development of all the public space - Taranaki St wharf, the Outer T, Waitangi Park, Frank Kitts Park, Kumutoto, artworks, festivals, and recreational water activities. They will also pay for the significant maintenance required for the wharves.

Commercial buildings not only pay for the public spaces - they add to the vibrancy of the waterfront by providing cafes, bars, restaurants and other destinations for locals and visitors alike. Commercial use has also secured the future of many of our heritage buildings.

Wellington is proud of its waterfront, but it also has a very limited appetite for paying for its maintenance and its enhancements through rates.

A lot has happened in the past 15 years; a lot has happened in the past year.

We have established a motorhome park and provided a permanent site for the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. Shed 13 has been commissioned as Mojo Coffee Central, the first stage of the wharf maintenance has been completed, the Frank Kitts Craft Market has been established and creative gallery spaces in the boathouses enliven the promenade.

The wharewaka construction has started. the Overseas Terminal resource consent was upheld in the Environment Court. We have facilitated a huge number of events, rejuvenated the Harbourside Market, assisted in developing the Great Harbour Way walk and cycleway, and a new sculpture on the four plinths by Te Papa.

The vast majority of Wellingtonians tell us consistently that they love what is happening on their waterfront; they tell us that we should just "get on with it". A few do not.

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Waterfront Watch can continue to fight development of the waterfront. It can choose to turn its back on a Waterfront Framework that many Wellingtonians helped to shape. That's its choice, and we need to accept there is a price for democracy.

The council in turn will have to respond to protect the integrity of the Waterfront Framework endorsed by the wider Wellington community. We need to keep faith with the vast majority of people who live in the city who want the enhancement of the waterfront to continue within the framework's thoughtful, considered guidelines.

Protecting the framework will be a significant cost, but the council has to keep faith with the Wellingtonians who expect to see the vision it outlines become a reality.

Ian Pike is chief executive of Wellington Waterfront