Redevelopment Plan for the Chelsea Sugar Refinery

Source: Georgia Sanders Photos, 2009

Chelsea
Studio in the second semester of the second year focused on a redevelopment proposal for the Chelsea Sugar refinery site located on the waterfront in Birkenhead Auckland. However, this studio differed from the Freemans Bay studio in that its focus was on developing plans, policies and methods for the purpose of redevelopment. There are many key attributes of the site that had to be taken into consideration in developing the plan.
Some key attributes of the site include:
• Site of historical importance: site opened in 1884 for the purpose of refining sugar and contains a “Category A” heritage building that cannot be externally altered; therefore, it has to be incorporated some way into the redevelopment plans.
• Site of biological importance in that in contains significant wildlife and indigenous habits
• High level of amenity within the site with unique views, vegetation and heritage buildings.
• Site is adjacent to the Waitemata Harbour and the coastal interface between the harbor and the site enables for a high level of amenity as well as opportunities to develop the site for recreational enjoyment.
The most interesting part of the paper was working in groups to brainstorm how we could redevelop the site. Firstly, we gave ourselves no restrictions in brainstorming so we could come up with as many ideas as possible. These ideas included things such as theme parks, casinos, residential development, parks, business centre, prison, hospital, university or school etc. However, we then as a group addressed the issues and constraints of the site to come up with a plan to redevelop the site that was realistic given the context of the site.
Our final proposal consisted of a redevelopment plan for lots 2 and 3 of the site that would entail a mixture of residential and commercial land-uses to accommodate for future growth and encourage economic growth to the area through providing for local employment. Furthermore, the plan proposed to redevelop the category A heritage building into a hotel along with coastal boardwalks, recreational areas, small-scale retail to serve local needs and a floating ferry terminal to provide for greater access to the CBD and other areas of the North Shore including Devonport and Northcote.
As part of this studio, we had to as a group identify the constraints, issues and opportunities of the site and also study the North Shore District Plan, Regional Growth Strategy and Auckland Regional Policy Statement to identify what types of activities (non-permitted, permitted, discretionary etc) were allowed for the site as well as future growth patterns and if there is a need for this type of development to take place. However, most importantly, by looking at these three reports, it made sure that our issues, objectives, policies and methods were inline and gave effect to these documents.
I found the paper to be challenging in that it was centered on familiarising the class with reading, interpreting and writing plans and understanding and developing issues, objectives, policies and methods. Furthermore, team work was challenging in that involved participation from every member of the group to develop the plan and agree on very specific details.