Argument against waterfront hotel trivial and selfish

JustinMcEntyre, of Mornington, feels let down by Dunedin generations ''stuck in their ways and mind''.

I sadly read in the Otago Daily Times that the resource consent application for the proposed 28-storey hotel was declined.

Saddened but not surprised. In the age bracket of the next generation I can only feel let down by the generations before us that are so vehemently stuck in their ways and mindset that Dunedin should not progress into the modern day and that we might as well close the gates, put up a plaque and embalm Dunedin City as a permanent museum showcasing the late 1800s settlement.

The protest and stonewalling of the Dunedin hotel is not an individual case. Any time anyone attempts any development in this city there is an echo of trivially-minded crows pleading to stop any such development purely out of their own needs, thoughts and often misguided judgement.

The party line in this case seems to be one of regarding the ''intrusive glass structure'' that ''doesn't suit the cityscape''.

I am by no means an advocate for bowling the history of the city and erecting multiple characterless glass boxes and in fact I am a member of and donor to the Otago branch of the Historic Places Trust.

Through my world travels I have seen it is possible to preserve historical buildings as well as allow new development.

You only need to look at London, Sydney, Melbourne and even Auckland to see great examples of including new structures that complement historical buildings.

The fact is Dunedin has too many old, decaying buildings that are uneconomical to restore, given the current building regulations, and be given the upgrades required to make them occupiable. It is, in fact, more cost-effective to build new developments.

You only need to drive down Bond, Cumberland, Crawford and Princes Sts to see the number of falling-down buildings that will most likely not see a makeover in my lifetime.

Other than a handful of Dunedin building owners like the Macknight family, William Cockerill and Lawrie Forbes, not many other building owners have the nous, ambition or funding to upgrade their historical buildings and therefore we aren't going to see the financial contribution that Dunedin needs if it is going to seriously upgrade historical buildings to make them tenantable and good for use as retail, offices or the much-needed four-star-plus hotel beds.

As for this development, it wasn't even going to affect any historical buildings.

At worst it was obstructing the views from the precious few multistorey office blocks in Dunedin and from Maori Hill residences. This argument I find trivial and selfish.

The views I have seen from these spots include a pre-1990 concrete overbridge with turquoise handrails, a rail yard, overgrown grass and some industrial sheds showing significant signs of coastal rust.

At one stage through the consent hearing I heard a remark relating this proposed development to Consultancy House and how this development would intrude upon this historical building, which for a first point is a significant distance from the site.

Consultancy House is a significant building to Dunedin and also NZ as it was our first multistorey concrete structure, a pioneering building in my opinion. A building that would be complemented by a modern-day pioneering building.

Dunedin is a city with few opportunities and even less interest from overseas investors.

I have sympathy with the protesters of the stadium as this was ratepayer funding put on the line. However, this development is one that would have cost Dunedin City Council zero dollars and would have generated employment for generations to come and unprecedented income for the city through an influx in Asian tourism.

The construction of this building alone would have generated millions of dollars for the city's economy, even with the owner being a Chinese-based construction company.

We are all only temporary residents and caretakers of this city and need to respect the past and look to the future to provide the next generation of Dunedin something to look forward to and aspire to, where growth and development are possibilities - because in the present mindset, we are only Invercargill with a university.

 

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