Western Reclamation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Western Reclamation (also known as Wynyard Point, Wynyard Wharf or the Tank Farm, though these strictly designate only parts of the whole), is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitemata Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront in Auckland City, New Zealand.

It is located to the north of Freemans Bay and to the west of the Viaduct Basin. Much of the area is still covered by petrol and liquid chemical storage facilities of Ports of Auckland, giving the area its 'Tank Farm' moniker. However, major changes are proposed for the coming decades, with the area intended to be redeveloped into a mixed-use residential-commercial area, likely with a major park along the eastern edge and at the northern point of the area.^[1]

1 History
- 1.1 Early years
- 1.2 Redevelopment
2 References
3 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

The Western Reclamation was progressively constructed by the Auckland Harbour Board, of which Ports of Auckland (POAL) is the successor. The last components of the reclamation (Wynyard Wharf) were being completed in 1930 and provided the growing harbour with additional berthage capacity and increased land for port activities. Initially used mainly by the timber trade, before slowly transferring to the current usage for bulk petro-chemical storage.

[edit] Redevelopment

Ports of Auckland still owned 18ha of the 35ha site as of 2006^[2], when it was decided that the land was to be transferred to a special holding company, which would be owned by the Auckland Regional Council (as is POAL).^[3] As noted on the Tank Farm website:

"Changes in bulk liquid transportation, the advent of the pipeline from Marsden Point, and the progressive expiration of industrial leases in the reclamation means that Ports of Auckland's land is becoming a precinct in search of a new purpose."

Following similar declarations by Auckland City and the Auckland Regional Council, political and design processes are currently underway to define the future shape of the area, a process that will take up to 20 years. One of the main public inputs so far was a wish for increased waterfront access, as well as the desire for more parkland on the point. However, some of these wishes were muted from political sources, as the redevelopment of the areais to be paid by the development of residential areas, with the available land for this use shrinking with an increase of the proposed park space. Already mostly agreed on is a bridge connecting the new quarter to the Viaduct Basin.^[3] Contrarywise, earlier feasibility studies seeing the possible terminus of a new Auckland Harbour Crossing (possibly as a tunnel) at Wynyard Point^[4] now look unlikely.

The public infrastructure costs of redeveloping the site are estimated at around NZ$ 400 million, of which between 5 per cent and 10 per cent are expected to be spent on cleanup of soil contamination due to petrochemicals.^[2]