Demolition watch
17/01/2006 12:00:00 a.m.
THE demolition of pre-1930s Aro Valley houses is set to cause heated debate around the council table this month.
Last week the council’s Strategy and Policy Committee voted for the introduction of a pre-1930s demolition rule for the area by a small majority of seven to six. The Wellington City Council will decide on August 31 whether to accept the committee decision that houses built before 1930 in Aro Valley should be protected from being developed into multi-unit houses.
Resource consent would be needed before one of these buildings could be demolished.
Aro Valley may join Thorndon and Mount Victoria, where the strategy was applied in 1998, and Newtown, Berhampore and Mount Cook, where the policy is currently being debated.
"If you’ve got an area with 50 old wooden villas all built with the same kind of materials, that are the same height, are close to the street, and someone comes along and says ‘I want to put a glass multi-unit smack in the middle of them’ – that would destroy the character utterly," says Andy Foster, WCC Urban Strategy Leader.
"We’re still a way away from a decision as to whether we should go ahead with a proposed plan change for Aro Valley. As it stands at the moment we will notify a plan change after the next council meeting."
Meanwhile the city gateway (port area) is earmarked for development, as well as the area from the Basin Reserve south (north of Newtown) if the changes go through in Aro Valley, Newtown, Berhampore and Mount Cook.
