Hotel pulls out of Almond Court development
Thrilled opponents now plan on fight to preserve historic flats
It’s fantastic news. This gives time to look at what to do with that site and my preference is for housing for inner city living. Councillor Trish Cutforth
An international hotel chain has pulled out of a deal to build a hotel in Whanga¯rei, delighting opponents of the plan, which would have meant a unique and historic block of flats being demolished.
Now the battle is on to save the flats – Almond Court, in Dent St.
Whanga¯rei District Council signed a deal in 2019 to sell land on Dent St – also known as Fire Brigade Hill – to Millennium & Copthorne Hotels NZ (MCK) for $2.15 million for a hotel development on the site.
But the proposed deal meant Almond Court, a red brick block of six flats overlooking Laurie Hall Park, would have to be demolished as the company wanted a clean site before any hotel went ahead.
However, Whanga¯rei architects Felicity Christian, Grant Harris and architectural designer Helen Beran were angry the flats were to be demolished with no guarantee the hotel development would proceed.
They said that a real possibility as Millennium Copthorne slashed staff numbers and closed rooms last year amid the Covid pandemic that stopped overseas tourists from coming here.
Christian said the flats were a unique part of the city’s architectural heritage and it would be a travesty if they were demolished for nothing.
Yesterday, Millennium Copthorne announced it was pulling out of the deal, citing the change in the tourism and accommodation sectors since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are disappointed that we are not able to proceed with the proposed development but the landscape for tourism and accommodation has changed beyond measure since the agreement for the land was entered into in 2019”, MCK managing director BK Chiu said.
“After a lot of time and work on this project, we have had to make the very difficult decision not to take this agreement further.”
Christian was delighted the hotel plan had been abandoned – proving that the concerns over demolishing the flats without a guaranteed hotel build were correct – but she was now keen to ensure Almond Court survived.
Given Whanga¯rei’s housing crisis it did not make sense to destroy six flats that could easily be converted into living spaces again and she wanted them revamped and reused for housing people.
Christian met with Whanga¯rei Mayor Sheryl Mai yesterday to discuss the issue.
The closing date for tenders to demolish Almond Court was March 30.
“We were disappointed to get this news, but we fully understand Millennium & Copthorne’s situation,” WDC chief executive Rob Forlong said.
“They have been great to work with and they have not made this decision lightly. Personally, I hope they reconsider building in Whangarei when the global travel market opens up – if not on this site, then maybe another.”
Forlong said, in the meantime, all plans regarding the future of the Almond Court Flats are on hold, and council would be considering their future over the coming months.
“No contract has been let for their demolition. That project is now on hold.”
Whanga¯rei city and the district were becoming more attractive every year as a place to visit, to explore, to enjoy events and to live, he said.
“Despite the difficulties Covid-19 has brought us, we have remained a vibrant and thriving centre. We continue to grow, our outlook is positive and I am sure we will be an attractive proposition for a four-star hotel developer in future.”
Councillor Trish Cutforth, who was going to introduce a notice to council to try to prevent the demolition, was pleased the hotel plan had been scrapped and demolition on hold.
”It’s fantastic news. This gives time to look at what to do with that site and my preference is for housing for inner city living.”
And that included keeping Almond Court.
contributing to this. Boat builder Donald McInnes built the Daring for two Onehunga Auckland men, John Matheson and John Rattray.
The 17-metre schooner was first wrecked at the mouth of the Waikato River about a year after its 1863 launch. It was then wrecked a second time the following year after getting blown ashore in a storm on to
Rangahia, Muriwai Beach near Kaipara Harbour’s South Head.
The Daring was dug out of the sand in 2018 in a huge rescue operation after windblown sands shifted to uncover its 152-year-old secret resting place.
Paul was among 30 people who carried out the rescue. Rescuers slept on the beach overnight and took 10 days with diggers and more to get the 31-tonne, gaff-rigged, two-masted ship freed from the sand.
“When it came out of the sand, its timbers looked like freshly sawn kauri, unbelievably preserved in the ironsands of the west coast,” Paul said.
Dr Jason Smith, Kaipara Mayor, said those behind the two-year mission to get the schooner back to Mangawhai had worked hard to satisfy council questions around the project. These people included trustees and others from the Mangawhai Museum, Mangawhai Daring Trust, Mangawhai Historic Village, Mangawhai Community Park and council staff.
Paul said international archaeologists and conservators had visited the recovered ship.
He said the Daring’s design had been the truck of New Zealand. It was based in Onehunga and carried goods around the coast before there were roads or rail — 10 years ahead of the first flat-bottomed scows that followed.
The Daring is made from kauri and Muntz brass alloy sheathing.
Paul said the Daring offered cultural, maritime, historic and educational opportunities.
Artefacts were also recovered from the ship including shoes and bottle tops taken off bottles by sword.
Mangawhai has a long history and this ship is a part of that. Anna Curnow