Concerns about the development of 10-storey apartments overlooking the National War Memorial

Veteran groups reject a plan to build two tall apartment buildings overlooking Wellington’s Bokehoe National War Memorial Park, as developers have tried and failed to gain approval without public interference.

“There will be concerns, and rightly so,” said Aaron Wood, treasurer of the No Duff Charitable Trust, a group for veterans and their families.

“We have formal events here. If we have people partying on the tenth floor [it is not appropriate]. “

Returning Society and Royal Services New Zealand chief executive Marty Donoghue said the War Memorial Park, which also houses the Unknown Warrior, “needs protection”.

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The two new apartment blocks – nine and ten stories high – are planned opposite Bokehwe Park on Tasman Boulevard, where the earthquake and weather-prone Tasman Gardens are.

“Pukeahu is designed as a quiet reflection area dominated by Carillon and any development not in line with that would not be acceptable,” said RSA’s Donoghue.

KEVIN STENT / Stuff

The Tasman Gardens Apartments, opposite Pukeahu war Memorial Park, are slated to be demolished to make way for a complex of 218 apartments, which will be 10 stories high.

Wellington City Council wanted to publicly notify approval – allowing public opposition – to develop the 218 units due to its proximity to Pokehoe Park, but resource approval documents show developers Willis Pond applied for fast-tracking, which means at least the first phase can be approved without public interference.

The Covid-19 Recovery (Fast Approval) Act, which went into effect in July 2020 and expires in July 2023, allows fast-tracking of approvals for some projects that are expected to boost employment and economic recovery.

KEVIN STENT / Stuff

The proposed project site is 218 housing units.

The request to expedite the demolition of existing buildings and construction of new housing complexes as well as some small blocks first went to the Ministry of Environment. Its website says Environment Secretary David Parker rejected the offer and sent it back through standard approval procedures.

RSA says the supplier’s agreement to create vacant space for future development is not an issue, but it also said it will “monitor future plans for the site to ensure that the unique nature of Pukeahu is protected.”

Willis Bond did not answer questions about the quick approval attempt and instead issued a statement attributed to an unnamed spokesperson.

“Historical seismic assessments have identified the Tasman Gardens apartment building and outbuildings as earthquake-prone and the eight homes on the Tasman Avenue edge of the site have significant water ingress problems,” the statement said.

“We worked with Athfield Architects on a new seismically resilient basement insulated apartment scheme for the site.

“We are following legal procedures and working through the planning and project approval phases with Wellington City Council now.”

The Willis Bond website says that registrations of interest are open for the primarily segregated group which will contain one, two and three bedroom apartments as well as listed homes.

The apartments will replace the leaky, earthquake-prone Tasman Gardens, where 41 of 42 apartment owners decided that repairing buildings, which are earthquake-prone and not weatherproof, would be too expensive and complex.

The EPA did not respond by the deadline.

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