New Auckland City Council resource consent applications for developer Doug Rikard-Bell's more than 1000 apartment Rhubarb Lane precinct shows he is setting the ball rolling on the 10-year, $1 billion project.Mr Rikard-Bell already has consent for 20 comme
New Auckland City Council resource consent applications for developer Doug Rikard-Bell’s more than 1000 apartment Rhubarb Lane precinct shows he is setting the ball rolling on the 10-year, $1 billion project.
Mr Rikard-Bell already has consent for 20 commercial and residential mixed use buildings on the former council depot site at Cook St in Auckland’s CBD but marketing ground to a halt when the recession hit.
New plan change proposals submitted by Mr Rikard-Bell’s company Pelago ask the council to allow for serviced apartments to be considered as non-permanent accommodation the same way as student accommodation is classed.
“It is considered that [student accommodation] would most likely result in stays longer than serviced apartments,” Pelago’s application to Auckland City Council said.
The first stage of the project is six buildings, which consent has now been issued for, designed by six different architects. Mr Rikard-Bell did not allow them to view each other’s work until design was complete.
Consent was confirmed for a one level underground carpark in September.
Marketed as “village life in the creative hub of Auckland’s CBD”, the project has a total floor area of nearly 150,000sq m with up to 3000 carparks, 3800sq m of cafes, cars and shops with up to 360 offices.
Mr Rikard-Bell bought the a leasehold interest in the site for $43.5 million from Westpac at mortgagee auction when previous owner Jamie Peters defaulted on repayments for it.
The development hasn’t been promoted since 2008 when the economic climate was constrained, and the development’s flashy website has not been updated with any new information yet.
Mr Rikard-Bell could not be contacted before publishing deadline.
