Lower Hutt hopes to lure Wellingtonians north with river-view apartments

Saturday, 14 July 2018

Andrea O'Connell, who oversaw the project to build apartments in the Lower Hutt Post Office, takes in the view towards the Hutt River.

Lower Hutt's rundown inner-city could eventually house 2600 people if the RiverLink project proves a success. Nicholas Boyack reports

Fancy living in a flash new apartment with a view of the Hutt River and a vibrant cafe scene?

Access and views of the Hutt River in central Lower Hutt are currently blocked by roading, a stopbank and a carpark.

Throw in a pedestrian bridge giving direct access to a new Melling Railway Station and a short ride to central Wellington and it sounds too good to be true.

Hutt City Council is hoping it will be enough to attract 2600 new residents to a revitalised inner-city.

Developer Kevin Melville in front of the Lower Hutt Post Office he purchased for $700,000 and turned into apartments.

Hutt city counciilors believe the central city is ripe for development.

* Council promises action on homeless

* Consultation on Melling Interchange**

Patricia Manhire lives and works in central Lower Hutt and is confident the area is about to undergo a major boom.

Take a walk in the area west of Queensgate Mall at the moment and it is hard to imagine it being associated with the word vibrant.

Empty shops with real estate agent signs desperately seeking tenants and the odd closing down sale are the norm in an area that has struggled since the mall opened in 1986.

A discount store on High Street is the latest business to close in an area that been struggling for years.

One person who believes strongly in the future of the area is Patricia Manhire. She runs a craft shop in High St and rents a flash new apartment in the historic Post Office building opposite her shop.

Her confidence that it will soon be a hub for apartments and cafes comes from her belief that the city council is taking the right approach.

Patricia Manhire loves her Lower Hutt apartment and enjoys watching what is going in the central city.

Councillors recently agreed to spend $51 million on a project called RiverLink – a range of urban design projects that will turn the city towards the Hutt River.

Throw in a regional council plan for flash new stopbanks and a possible new bridge and interchange to reduce Melling traffic, and Manhire believes the area is about to take off.

Low-rise buildings beside the Hutt River look out on to a stopbank. The city council has budgeted $25 million for a promenade to highlight the river.

Having lived in Kelson and Petone, she has found living in the inner-city the perfect lifestyle choice.

'It is really handy living so close to the city and we don't have to worry about parking or doing the lawns.'

The Riverbank carpark is to be replaced with a promenade and better access to the Hutt River.

The population in Lower Hutt has been steady at about 100,000 for decades. Some parts of the city, notably Wainuiomata, have even suffered a population loss.

It points to the long-term problem that the city council is trying to address – what is the best way to grow the population?

Lower Hutt residents need to look past their 'quarter acre dream' and accept the reality that, worldwide, houses are getting smaller and inner-city living is becoming more attractive, Manhire said.

The council hopes developers will build 1300 apartments, which will support cafes and a range of recreational activities.

Manhire believes that once Wellingtonians wake up to the advantages of living in central Lower Hutt, with its proximity to Wellington and its lower prices, they will migrate north.

She lives in a top quality two-bedroom apartment and pays rent of $470 a week.

It was developed by Kevin Melville who purchased the historic Post Office Building in November 2013 for $700,000.

At that time, he admitted he was uncertain about the demand for inner-city apartments.

Melville spent $6m on the apartments that were fully occupied within a few weeks of going on the market.

Although he is involved in major projects in Upper Hutt and Plimmerton Farm, he is still interested in Lower Hutt and believe the council's approach in the right one.

'I actually think it is great idea and concept but the devil is in the detail, 1300 homes seems quite ambitious.'

The cost of building 'has gone crazy' and he believes that prices will only continue to rise.

That makes it hard for developers, in an area that people might consider a cheaper option, to make any money.

Wellington based developer Ian Cassells recently purchased the old earthquake-prone BNZ bank building on High St with the intention of building apartments.

That will at least encourage Wellington based developers look at Lower Hutt, Melville said.

If the council is to achieve its aim of 1300 new homes, Melville believes the key is getting three or four projects completed successfully.

The city council has been planning the move to re-develop the inner-city for over a decade.

Much of the planning has been overseen by Paki Maaka, who believes the projected population growth of 2600 is conservative and the actual figure will be much higher.

That view reflects his confidence that the inner-city has plenty of untapped potential.

He also points to the example of Courtenay Place in the 1980s, which was then a sea of empty and under-utilised old buildings.

Developers were attracted by bargain priced buildings and within a few years, it became the centre of Wellington's nightlife.

Maaka has another reason to be confident: research done by Let's Get Wellington Moving project.

The joint-initiative between the Wellington regional and city councils, alongside the New Zealand Transport Agency, estimates the regional population will grow by 100,000 over the next 28 years.

It suggests that 50,000 of these will want to live in inner-city Wellington, but Maaka recently told Hutt politicians that figure seems unlikely.

'Wellington City Council indicates there are significant challenges to constructing multi-level apartment buildings in down-town Wellington due to the availability of suitable sites, natural hazards and sea level rise.'

That is where Hutt City can step in by making the Hutt River a major attraction, he said.

Hutt South MP Chris Bishop reckons it is bizarre the way the city has been built looking away from the river.

Developing the inner city and and incorporating the river into river its urban design, will be a game changer for the city, he said.

'Our moment in the sun is coming.'

The key to attracting Wellingtonians is the proposed pedestrian bridge over the Hutt River to a relocated Melling Railway Station.

Wellington will be a 20-minute ride to Wellington central, making it a quicker trip than coming from Island Bay or Karori.

'Aucklanders would kill for that.'

RIVERLINK BY THE NUMBERS

* $82m to acquire property for the new stopbanks

* $43m to widen the Hutt River and build new stopbanks

* $34m for a new Melling Bridge

* $25m for a river promenade

* $23m to relocate Melling Station

* $7m for a pedestrian bridge from the new Melling Station, crossing the Hutt River

* $6.5m for a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Hutt River