THINK COLLECTIVELY
Case Study 2.3 Britomart, Auckland and the Warehouse Precinct, Dunedin
Auckland’s Britomart area was formed from the 1870s when Point Britomart was levelled and the land surrounding it was reclaimed from the harbour. Soon after, the area’s proximity to the expanding port and other commercial activities saw it become an important trading centre. At its height the area housed many large warehouses, commercial premises, a railway station and the city’s Chief Post Office. However, by the middle of the 20th century the area was falling into disrepair. The train station was replaced with a bus terminal, a large car park was constructed, and the surrounding buildings became increasingly derelict as businesses relocated to other parts of the city. From the 1970s the heritage buildings repeatedly faced the risk of demolition as the large, run-down area became an increasingly attractive redevelopment proposition. In the mid-1990s public opposition to one of these redevelopment proposals by the Auckland City Council (the area’s underlying landowner) began a process that would eventually lead to these buildings’ restoration and adaptive reuse, rather than their demolition. Following additional consultation with the public, the council undertook a two-stage process to redevelop and reuse the site. The first involved the adaptive reuse of the Chief Post Office as a train station within the city’s expanding public transport network.
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The second stage involved the restoration and adaptive reuse of the existing heritage buildings on site, the protection of the area’s special character, and the development of new buildings and a public space to create a more coherent identity and vibrant mixeduse precinct of shops, offices and apartments in line with an area master plan. Rather than undertake this development itself, the then Auckland City Council ran a competitive bid process for the long-term rights to own, develop and manage the Britomart development area. At the end of this term (100 years) the area will be returned to the Auckland City Council. This restoration and adaptive reuse was guided by conservation plans for each of the heritage and character buildings. These were developed by the council and included as part of the competition and subsequent development agreement. They detailed specific remedial works, including the reinstatement of parapets, ground floor fenestration and the adaptation of existing loading docks, to protect and enhance the unique characteristics of these buildings. To this day, the conservation plans remain important documents in managing the heritage fabric of the buildings and maintaining the look and feel of the entire area. The restoration of the first historic buildings began in 2004 and most projects have now been completed. The restored buildings form a key component of the character and commercial floor space of the thriving area, which is now home to more than 4000 workers,
SAVING THE TOWN
