Architecture Reclaimed: Building on the Margin Bayswater Marina Context Report
Ferry Terminal
Bus Stop
Parking
Bicycle Rack
Access to Water
Recreational Space
Looking to the Past With the marina having been constructed under the condition, the dredging be used for marine related activities, the proposal of a high density residential ‘Marina Village’ on what is currently a “wasted” windswept car park has been strongly opposed by members of the Bayswater community who believe the development to reduce public access to and recreational use of the site’s coastal land. Despite providing a 15m esplanade reserve around the reclamation, retaining the commercial and recreational activities that currently exist on site, and building over only 17% of the 3.5ha piece of land, the proposal of 125 permanent dwellings on what is a windswept and transient waterfront site seems unsuitable, and the suggestion that one-bedroom $500,000 units can contribute to solving Auckland’s affordable housing crisis, absurd. By looking back in Bayswater history at transport, access, and recreation and how these once facilitated activity on site, a better understanding of what is suitable to the site from the perspective of the public and what is economically viable from the perspective of the developer, can be obtained.
Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company
Ferry Route
Tram Route
In 1910 the new Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company linked the city with Bayswater and Takapuna conveying passengers by ferry to Bayswater and then to Takapuna by steam tram. The regular tram and ferry service encouraged city workers to settle in the area, promoting the residential and commercial development of Takapuna. By 1927, tram services ceased due to inefficiencies, and buses took over. Today, Bayswater Marina continues to function as a transport node providing ferry and bus linkages, however the site is used as more of a thoroughfare than a destination due to the lack of activity. Currently, ferry services run half hourly during peak times, hourly off-peak, and are almost non-existent during the weekends, limiting accessibility. Transit oriented development linking the city back to Bayswater can not only increase activity on site but use the activity generated by the development to justify and sustain a more frequent public transport system, increasing accessibility to and from the city whilst benefiting the wider community.
Somewhere to Get Away From it All The development of the steam tram from Bayswater in 1910 saw surrounding beaches such as Milford become popular destinations for city dwellers in the summer months. Takapuna became a popular a resort for both day trippers from the city and those who made use of the area’s numerous holiday baches for a longer stay. By the 1930’s, residential development of the area saw these baches be gradually replaced by permanent dwellings whilst a rise in car ownership saw city folk seeking ‘somewhere to get away from it all’ search further afield. What was needed was a new attraction. The Pirate Shippe constructed in 1929 , and saltwater swimming pool constructed alongside in 1936 transformed Takapuna back into fashionable destination, but this was not to last. What it needed today is similar. Bayswater Marina needs to function as a destination for city dwellers as opposed to a departure point for people from the surrounding area if it is to be profitable venture.
3m Marginal Strip (Current Condition)
/3.5ha
2
9m Marginal Strip (As proposed by Developer)
/3.5ha
2
15m Marginal Strip (As proposed by Council)
/3.5ha
2
20m Marginal Strip (’Queen’s Chain’)
/3.5ha
2
The Marginal Strip Concerns over cuts to the ‘Queens Chain’ and the insufficient provision of public access to the water’s edge on reclaimed land at Bayswater Marina in recent proposals has delayed developments on site. Litigations between developers and the North Shore CIty Council where the marginal strip of land surrounding the marina has fluctuated from 20m to 3.6m-9.7m, to 9m to 15m reveal the Bayswater community’s vested interest in preserving the site’s access to the water’s edge and capacity to support public recreational use. Where the council has proposed a wider marginal strip where the value of the strip land itself is considered in terms of promoting recreational use, developers have proposed a narrower strip which is argued to be of greater recreational value due to the development of the land beyond that strip. What needs to be questioned is what is more valuable in the provision of public space. Total area provided or the quality of that space?
INSTRUCTIONS to our trusty and well-beloved William Hobson, Esq. our Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Our Colony of New Zealand, or in his absence to Our Lieutenant-governor, or the officer administrating the Government of the said Colony for the time being.-Given at our Court at Buckingham Palace, the 5th day of December 1840, in the Fourth year of our Reign. “...lands it may be proper to reserve in each county... for public roads and other internal communications, whether by land or water... places fit to be set apart for the recreation and amusement of the inhabitants of any town or village, or for promoting the health of such inhabitants, or as the sites of quays or landing-places which it may at any future time be expedient to erect, form, or establish on the sea coast or in the neighbourhood of navigable streams, or which it may be desirable to reserve for any other purpose of public convenience, utility, health, or enjoyment;... that you do not on any account, or on any pretence whatsoever, grant, convey, or demise to any person or persons any of the lands so specified as fit to be reserved as aforesaid, nor permit or suffer any such lands to be occupied by any private person for any private purposes.”
Reserves for Public Convenience, Utility, Health And Enjoyment Historically, there existed an expectation of unrestricted access to and along the water margins where, under the concept of the Queen’s Chain, a strip of land one ‘chain’ wide (20m) along the country’s coastline and inland waterways had been reserved for the use and enjoyment of the public. In reality, this expectation is more of an ideal as full access rights to land along all rivers, lakes and coast have never been established by law. The concept was derived from the interpretation of Queen Victoria’s Instructions to Governor Hobson where it was asked reserves be set aside along all water margins “for the recreation and amusement...or for promoting the health...or as the sites of quays or landing-places...or any other purpose of public convenience, utility, health, or enjoyment”. If, there existed an expectation to reserve such sites historically, an argument can be made for the creation of such spaces today.
Private Marina
Recreational Space
Public Open Space
Public vs. Private The reclamation at Bayswater Marina was planned on the basis that no marginal strip would be required. It was not a case of natural foreshore, important to its locality or with a history of public use. When the marina was granted planning consent by the Waitemata Harbour Maritime Planning Authority in 1989, the seabed was not Crown land and so the Resource Management Act of 1991, specifically Section 24 relating to marginal strips, did not apply. The 1994-1996 marina development costing $25 million was undertaken on the basis the consents it had been given had security of tenure. It was only until the Resource Management Act in 1991, that esplanade reserves, esplanade strips and access strips are set aside in order to conserve environmental values and provide opportunities for public access and recreational use. The challenge that exists for any development on site is to reconcile public interest and private rights through the provision of public access on privately-owned land which is to be leased in an economically viable way.
Takapuna Boating Club The Bayswater Boating Club was re-established as the Takapuna Boating club in 1914, shortly after the First World War when a decision was made to erect a club house. In 1920, club member’s secured the lease of the site at Bayswater and purchased an old tannery building in Panmure which they themselves dismantled, transported by barge and rebuilt into the charming three-storeyed timber construction that stands today. In 1924 a saltwater swimming pool known as the Bayswater Baths was added on the seaward side by the Takapuna Borough Council and in 1926, the site on which clubhouse stands was gifted to the Club by Act of Parliament. A communal effort through and through, engaging the Bayswater community with the water, the Takapuna Boating Club, literally shaped the 1990’s reclamation, through its requirement for clear waters and air for small boat sailing in the bay, revealing not only its social significance but its physical impact on the landscape.
A Fashionable Destination The Takapuna Boating Club operated from its Bayswater clubhouse until the 1960’s. Initially formed to promote centre board sailing on the shores of Shoal Bay, clubhouse was a centre of sailing and social activity. Bayswater dances were famous in the fifties. Steam ferries from across the Harbour would deposit people at Bayswater Wharf from where they would stroll up the hill and gather at the Boating Club. Dances on the street-level floor accompanied by live music in the form of rock bands and orchestras saw Saturday nights transform the Boating Club into a fashionable destination. In addition to the sailing contests and regular dances, the Takapuna Boating Club hosted other sporting events, bridge, card and mahjong nights, gala’s and fetes, local school concerts and balls, lectures, as well as polling booths for national and local elections. Historically, a ‘hot-spot’ with rich and varied uses, there is no reason as to why the site cannot be transformed into the fashionable destination it once was, nor why it should be limited to only maritime-related activities.
Restoring Heritage Today the dance floor has been taken over by Shore Sails, however the site is still used by the club as a sailing venue for learners, and when the tide allows, regattas. Recognized as an historic building on both the North Shore City’s Heritage Register and the Auckland Regional Council’s Coastal Plan, plans to restore the faded heritage building and its silted-up swimming pool are underway. Restoration involves the removal of mud that that has accumulated at the base of the building in order to enable repair of the piles and beams with later plans to replace the roof and refurbish its weathered exterior. To be able to return the sense of society, sophistication, and splendour that that surrounded the Takapuna Boating Club at one time back to both the clubhouse and the rest of the site, would be a mark of success.
Baths for Bayswater Also historic, the Bayswater Bath’s future is yet to be determined. In current conservation plans it is not envisaged the pool will be restored to an operational state but rather will be retained as a baffle, protecting the Clubhouse’s foundations against wave damage and sou’westerlies. Although deemed unnecessary by some ratepayers at time of its construction, due to the proximity of beautiful beaches and a belief that the funds could be better spent, the saltwater swimming pool was one of the first constructions on site to allow the public to actively engage with the water. Despite this, the 75ft by 40ft concrete enclosure designed to be flushed by the tide so as provide ample bathing depth day and night fell into a state of disrepair and disuse due to poor upkeep. Re-establishing the Bayswater Baths to an operational state would be one way in which to introduce activity back to the site and increase its recreational value.