West Quay - Napier
Fast facts
Location: West Quay, Ahuriri, Napier
Construction: 2000 - ongoing
Owner: Napier City Council
Design: West Quay Design Team Napier City Council Design Unit, Traffic Design Group, and Salmond Architects
Case study researcher: Alan Titchener, West Quay Design Team
Key statistics
Area: 4 ha (approximately)
Number of units: 172
Commercial floor area: 3000 m2
Gross floor area: 6666 m2
Net floor area used: 3000 m2
Photo: Location
map.
Photos: Views along the main road showing enhancements to streetscape. 
Introduction
West Quay is a unique historic precinct in the suburb of Ahuriri, Napier.
In pre-European times the area was an important pa site. European settlers developed the area into the port for Napier, with a mix of primarily industrial and commercial uses.
The 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake forced changes to the port facilities. Although the harbour still operates as a working fishing wharf, changes in commercial activity and pressure on waterfront areas for residential and recreational purposes have led to significant changes in land use in the area.
After the completion of two heritage studies and a public consultation process, the Napier City Council appointed a Design Team to co-ordinate the development of the West Quay area.
The key to the development has been the retention of the industrial/marine character of the area, while catering for its gradual transformation into more commercial residential and recreational use, particularly restaurants, cafés and bars.
Design process
Initially, two heritage studies were commissioned, one identifying sites of significance to Maori in the Ahuriri Estuary area, and the other focusing on heritage issues within the suburb of Ahuriri, including West Quay.
Both studies helped establish the importance of the area and gave strength to the Council's intention to preserve the remaining features of the area from inappropriate or destructive development.
In essence, what gives West Quay its unique character is its strong built form with industrial scale buildings, the number and style of windows and doorways, the relatively uncluttered streetscape with its sharp interface between horizontal and vertical planes, and the juxtaposition of the streetscape, and the working wharf.
Public consultation further reinforced the need for controls on future development and helped identify the features and elements that needed to be retained.
In 1995 the threat to the unique character of West Quay became even more real when a wool store was demolished to make way for a motel and apartment development, which was out of character with the buildings in the area. A special character protection order was placed on the remainder of the historic precinct and any future development within the prescribed zone needs to comply with specific resource consent procedures.
A local poet was commissioned to put into words the issues that had been identified in the heritage studies and the public consultation process and his 'thought pictures' were captured on video. This video has proved to be an invaluable tool in introducing people new to the area to the underlying context and issues facing West Quay.
A Design Team was established, co-ordinated by a planner from the Napier City Council and including an architect, a landscape architect and an artist/designer. It was given two primary roles to perform.
The first was to design the streetscape for West Quay. This was done with input, where required, from the Napier City Council Design Unit and Traffic Design Group.
The design deliberately maintained elements of the existing streetscape, retaining an uncluttered industrial and marine 'feel'.
Traffic slowing chicanes and wharf-style bollards were installed to discourage use of the precinct as a thoroughfare for heavy traffic.
Parking between the street and the wharf was restricted to reduce visual clutter, maintain access to the wharf and enhance views to the water.
A small area of soft landscaping was undertaken to reduce the impact of the traffic-slowing devices. A staged development plan was designed to allow for the phased removal of heavy traffic that used West Quay for access to the port.
The second role of the Design Team has been to positively influence development proposals that have an impact on the physical environment of West Quay.
Through this input, the design of structures and landscape elements within the streetscape and the treatment of building facades have been kept appropriate to the character of the precinct.
The services of a heritage architect are employed as required in the role of peer review and for final checks, particularly for developments involving modifications to buildings.
Developers employ their own designers to work through their particular design processes, using the Design Team to provide guidance for outcomes that will comply with resource consent requirements.
Urban design issues
The urban design issues dealt with in the course of the project have been:
- management of the process of change of use while protecting the unique character and heritage of the area
- facilitating changes in traffic patterns while maintaining access to the working wharf
- influencing the style and extent of re-development of buildings in the area
- creating an appropriate streetscape for the area.
Evaluation - urban design principles
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Context |
West Quay is an historic waterfront precinct that continues to be used as a port. As the area was being subjected to development pressure and threats to its unique heritage, Napier City Council sought to take a lead and instigated a design process to co-ordinate re-development of the West Quay area. |
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Character |
The retention of the existing buildings and the dominant streetscape elements has ensured the retention of the area's character. Careful adherence to these elements in new developments has been essential. References to the area's pre-European history have been incorporated, including the construction of a 'waka wharf' and a carefully positioned carved pou. These help to acknowledge the area's cultural and historical significance. |
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Choice |
West Quay is an excellent example of the active provision of a mix of uses - in this case adapting buildings to suit evolving functions and needs. The focus of the design process has been on managing and guiding this process so as not to destroy the characteristics of the area that make it attractive to potential users and developers. New apartment developments in the area will complement the existing restaurant, café and bar facilities. Retaining the area's function as a working wharf has also been vital to the success of the project. |
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Connections |
The development is well integrated into the traffic plan for the suburb and the port facilities. Traffic control measures such as carefully designed slow points, combined with the co-operation of trucking firms, have been successful in removing around 95% of the heavy traffic from West Quay, creating a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists. Recreational needs (walking, cycling, jogging and sightseeing) are well catered for. The popularity of the area has put pressure on existing parking, and providing more parking is part of the long term strategy. |
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Creativity |
The outcome has been positive as a result of the Council taking a strong design-led approach and being active in the re-development of this historic precinct. The development has successfully managed to integrate developing new uses and enhancing the streetscape with retention of an original working wharf and associated historic buildings. |
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Custodianship |
The relationship of West Quay to the wharf and harbour and the views to the boats has been a feature of its development. The existing built environment has been the primary determinant of the style of streetscape elements used. Honest, robust, industrial marine materials have been used with a minimum of clutter. Simplicity and understatement have been pursued rather than importing design influences from other urban spaces. Some compromise has been accommodated in the interests of comfort, such as allowing sun umbrellas, but permanent enclosure of the public open spaces has been discouraged. Existing trees (coastal native species) have been retained and some limited additional planting has been done to soften street treatments. |
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Collaboration |
Resolving design issues at the 'front end' rather than in hearings and Court is beneficial for all parties. Regular consultation with tangata whenua and stakeholder groups has been a feature of the design process. Regular consultation and openness about what is planned for the area and why, has been essential to retaining both public and stakeholder support for the development of the area. |
Lessons learnt
Consistency of approach and continuity of personnel have been significant factors in the success of the Design Team approach. Resolving design issues at the 'front end' rather than in hearings and Courts has been beneficial to all parties.
Some developers have found the process frustrating and some have walked away from involvement because of the perceived inflexibility of the consent requirements. Those who have seen the process through, however, have eventually realised that the outcome has been worth the perseverance.
What has been good for West Quay in terms of the retention of urban character and heritage, has also been good for business. The fact that more developers are lining up to become involved in the area, particularly for residential and commercial use, would appear to be a vote of confidence in the approach used. Indeed, the biggest issue confronting the area in the future is its popularity and with that, the need to cater satisfactorily for people wishing to live in and use the area.
The 'proactive' approach to meeting resource consent requirements has been very successful in avoiding time-consuming and costly hearings and litigation.
A few concerns have been expressed by recently arrived residents relating to some of the streetscape elements such as the traffic slowing devices and the carved pou, but most users consider these positive elements.
Not all the built elements have been built to the highest quality of workmanship and there has been some frustration at the lack of satisfactory supervision of construction (which is outside the Design Team's brief).
Value gained
Values in the area have risen significantly over the period of development. Some of this rise in value can clearly be attributed to the worldwide phenomenon of increases in the value of waterfront land.
However, the extent of increase in value, and the perception that West Quay is a desirable area in which to invest can in part be attributed to the success of the West Quay project.
The development of new apartment complexes and high occupancy rates of motels in the area are further evidence of the success of the urban design processes and results.
Comments
Stakeholder Jarrod Lowe, Proprietor of The Gin Trap, a restaurant and bar developed and operated under the terms of the process described above says, "The results of the Design Team's efforts have been beneficial to my business".
Napier Mayor, Barbara Arnott, says, "Good planning has maximised the potential of West Quay. The retention of historic industries with the integration of waterfront living and recreational activities make for a dynamic environment".
Photo: Aerial
view of West Quay.
Photo: West Quay market.
Photo: West Quay proposals.
