Master plan evolves for future-proofed Navy base

A multibillion-dollar master plan is being developed for the HMNZS Philomel Navy Base, detailing how it will evolve over the next decades.

Successive governments have questioned whether Devonport is the best home for the Navy, even though it has been in the suburb in some form for 150 years.

The cost of moving the base, including the clean-up of the Devonport site next to the harbour in the middle of the city, has always been a major barrier.

In 2019, an indicative business case was put to the government recommending Devonport be retained as the home of New Zealand’s naval base. This was accepted by the government earlier this year.

A New Zealand Defence Force team from Wellington is spearheading a multi-disciplinary group working on the master plan, which will consider current buildings, security requirements and climate-change impacts at the base. Its first reports are expected in June 2024.

It’s a complex process, needing to take into account the coastal environment, the fact the base is located in a residential suburb and its core purpose as a defence facility.

Key dynamics under investigation include:

• Providing well-designed, reasonably priced accommodation for personnel.

• Addressing car-parking concerns in and around the base.

• Retaining historic sites, while building new structures needed for a modern base.

One of the big unknowns of the plan is the effect of climate change and the risks of seawater inundation, especially in the North Yard bordered by Jim Titchener Pde.

‘Defend or depart’ issues abound. Can measures be put in place to safeguard Te Taua Moana Marae, the Sea Safety Training Squadron and Damage Control School, Recruit Training Squadron and fleet gym, for example?

Infrastructure that is most likely to be retained includes the dry dock, the tunnel that connects the South and North Yards and St Christopher’s Chapel. The wardroom and the former Naval Hospital may be replaced.

The best use for the Navy’s Narrow Neck facility will be considered. Should it be used for officer training, recruit training and accommodation, or something else?

Navy base commander Julie Simpkins, who began her tenure just as the Omicron

Covid outbreak started, and this year has been involved in Civil Defence operations in which personnel were deployed to Northland and the Air Force base at Whenuapai, is excited to be part of something more positive: moving the base into the future.

Naturally, given the base is a defence facility, it works to an annual plan, with maintenance upgrades and the like. But during the various investigations into moving the base out of Devonport, new developments and restructurings have been put on the backburner.

“The master plan will allow the base to be future-proofed to the mid-to-late 2000s,” Simpkins said.

One of the more interesting changes could be around the naval housing. Up until a decade ago, ratings were housed on the base, and for others, Navy housing was available locally, in blocks largely on the Bayswater peninsula and at Wakakura, where the Ryman retirement complex is now located. However, when the housing land was sold to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as part of a Treaty settlement, much of the housing for young couples disappeared.

Even two decades ago, young Navy people could afford to buy houses on the North Shore. But with the Auckland property boom this is often no longer the case. It is now relatively common for Navy staff to own houses in other parts of the region and the North Island. Some commute to Auckland during the week or stayed on the base and went home at weekends, Simpkins said.

However, living in locations distant from work did not suit everyone. Greater accommodation options on base – some possibly in multistorey blocks – are under consideration, Simpkins said. More accommodation options for young couples and families on the base could also help with attracting and retaining staff.

As part of the master-planning process, input will be sought from Auckland Transport, Auckland Council, Ports of Auckland and iwi.

The workings of overseas naval bases will also be looked at for ideas and innovations that could work in Devonport. While no naval base duplicates Devonport exactly in size and scope, Sydney and Singapore were similar, Simpkins said. “Understandably, everyone in the Navy wants to know what is happening and I’m as excited as everyone else to see which piece will come first. But it’s very involved and needs to take time.”

Changes to the base will be staggered over years, but Simpkins is optimistic now the budgets for the works will be set in government planning.

Navy base commanders are generally redeployed to other posts after several years, so Simpkins, who will have served two years in the job next March, is realistic she will not necessarily be around to see the changes take place.

But she feels lucky to be part of the planning. “I hope I will be welcomed back to see the results.”

Navy’s Calliope Rd houses worth nearly $100 million

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has a portfolio of 25 properties on Calliope Rd, valued at almost $100 million.

The addresses are between 45 and 145 Calliope Rd.

The properties have cost $2 million in maintenance over the past five years, according to documents released to the Flagstaff under the Official Information Act.

Most of the properties are used as ‘married quarters’ accommodation.

Houses at 53, 101, 105 and 115 Calliope Rd are used for transit accommodation, as needed.

A house at 117 Calliope Rd, valued at $7 million, is set aside for VIP accommodation and used as required.

The Navy also has six houses within

Devonport Naval base facts at a glance

Property (Defence Force land in Devonport)

South Yard 14.3 hectares; North Yard 8.1 hectares; Ngataringa Bay 9.2 hectares; Narrow Neck 3.2 hectares (leased from Ngati Whatua for 150 years).

People

Around 2500 work on the Navy Base, a mix of regular-force personnel, reserves, civilians and contractors.

Of all the services, the Navy has the highest percentage of female regular force personnel, at 27.9 per cent women.

Regular-force ethnicity: NZ/NZ European 52.2 per cent; Māori 18.4 per cent; European 14 per cent; Pasifika 7.1 per cent; Asian 3.9 per cent; Other, 4 per cent.

Public pool access could be restored

Community use of the Navy pool will be investigated as part of the master plan.

The Navy pool was a popular community asset for more than two decades, being used by members of the Devonport Swim Club for training and coaching.

But its licence was suspended due to Covid restrictions from 2020 to 2022. The suspension has continued to allow safety and security reviews. the base.

Part of the review of the Navy site will include looking at where the Navy boundary lies.

An option might be to position the fence so the pool is outside the base and can therefore be accessed more easily by the public, Navy base commander Julie Simpkins told the Flagstaff.

Two of the Calliope Rd properties and a vacant section are subject to Māori land claims.

They are included in the Marutūāhu Iwi Collective Redress Deed.

All the properties were assessed for potential damage following flood and cyclone events earlier this year.