Scale back huge Amaia expansion – planner

A massive intensification of the Amaia development on Esmonde Rd should be declined, a planner reporting for Auckland Council has recommended – while apparently leaving wriggle room for a still substantial expansion to go ahead.

Finding the proposed maximum building height of 16 storeys “did not protect and preserve the natural character of the coastal environment”, consultant planner Vanessa Wilkinson told an independent hearings panel that buildings on the old Harbourside Church site should be capped at 12 storeys, which is still well in excess of the current consent for two buildings of no more than seven storeys.

Developer KBS Capital wants to expand the development with 13 additional buildings, ranging from four to 16 storeys. It also wants land on the site’s coastal edge rezoned.

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