Tempers flare at hospice bid
Tempers were frayed at a public meeting to discuss a controversial apartment block proposal in Wellington’s Newtown suburb.
About 65 people turned up to discuss Mary Potter Hospice’s proposed development for Mein St on Saturday.
One of the speakers, emergency department consultant Dr Stephen Pool, said residents just wanted the hospice to be a good neighbour.
Everyone in the room supported the work the hospice did in caring for patients, he added.
But the proposed development had too many issues for residents’ support to extend to the apartment project.
‘‘They are dropping, essentially, two massive five-to-six storey buildings in to the centre of their tiny, cramped backyard.
‘‘The complex will cast shade on to neighbouring homes. Some surrounding homes will be plunged in to darkness as early as 3pm.’’
He described the project’s design as the ‘‘ugly as hell’’ offspring of an ill-fated romance between an orange Ikea bookcase and the letter ‘L’.
Resident Nick Granville said the complex’s design, as it stood, would take away winter sunlight from about 10 houses, including his. There were also major issues around parking for locals.
At times, the meeting had got heated, Granville acknowledged.
Mary Potter Hospice chairwoman Ani Waaka said the meeting had been very useful.
As a result, the board was now aware of the issues most concerning to residents.
‘‘It was useful for us to hear first-hand about the things that are concerning people in the neighbourhood.
‘‘One of the positives for me was that no-one was against the fact that we were building a building; it was around the design.’’