Heritage do-ups in new precinct

A new $100 million-plus food and dining, office and apartment precinct has been announced for a waterfront site at Hobsonville Pt on Auckland’s northwestern fringe.

Mark McGuinness, managing director of developers Willis Bond, said construction of the Catalina Bay project had started, creating space for food and beverage services, 6000sq m of offices and up to 80 apartments.

Willis Bond is buying 1.8ha of stateowned land for the scheme, due to settle in stages in the next three years, he said. But he refused to say how much his business was paying for the Government-owned land.

“There was a competitive process at the outset and we were one of several bidders. The first stage is restoring existing heritage buildings, the Sunderland hanger and the Catalina hanger. Both of these had the old flying boats in them.”

A farmers’ market already operates from the area but would move 50m to a permanent home once a heritage building had been refurbished.

The northeastern tip of the point, previously called The Landing, has been re- named Catalina Bay. McGuinness said the precinct backs on to Launch Rd. The area has the wharf where the ferry to downtown Auckland docks. Ex-Air Force hangers and buildings will be restored in stage one of the development, he said.

The former air base is being transformed into a new community expected to accommodate more than 11,000 people.

Ockham Residential is developing the 120-unit Bernoulli Gardens at Hobsonville Point, holding a ballot which closed yesterday for $450,000 onebedroom units.

Anne Gibson