Mariner Towers plan opposed by Mayor

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33527, 7 May 1974, Page 18

Mariner Towers plan opposed by Mayor

Mariner Towers, the proposed “gracious living” multistorey apartment block for the Esplanade at Sumner, would not go ahead if the local population did not approve, said the developers — Messrs J. H. Robinson, M. Cheshire and partners — yesterday.

The apartment building proposal is being strongly opposed by the Sumner Residents’ Association, which is expected to discuss the project at a meeting this evening.

The association has applied for a change of zoning for the area so it can stop the project.

The project has also been opposed by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr N. G. Pickj ering), who said yesterday he thought that at this stage of Christchurch’s development ”... it is the wrong development for Sumner.” But the developers said in a statement yesterday that although Sumner people were under the impression that “big business” had decided to buy the Esplanade at any price and put up a line of “seven-storey concrete monstrosities,” nothing could be further from the truth. “Mr Cheshire was a resident of the Sumner Esplanade for more than 40 years, and he would not introduce any scheme which would be to the detriment of the Esplanade environment. Neither would the architect, Mr Peter Beaven.” “SPACE, VIEWS” A brochure on Mariner Towers says they will be a spacious block of high-rise ownership apartments, with units looking north to the Alps, the Kaikouras, and over Pegasus Bay.

There will be ample room for gardens, paths, carparking, and landscaped grounds with trees, shrubs and lawns, it says. Every unit will have sliding doors to a balcony overlooking Cave Rock and the bay. Three penthouses will each have a private terrace and roof garden. There will be eight onebedroom apartments, in a two-storey block, along the Esplanade frontage. The twobedroom apartments will be in four blocks of two, tnree, seven and six floors respectively, stepped back from the street. The highest blocks will be near the middle of the site.

The developers’ statement says that if it is decided later to go ahead with a new plan, a model of the project will be displayed at Sumner first.

On the fear of a line of “concrete monstrosities," the statement says that the R 3 zoning in the area would make it virtually impossible to build more than about three high-rise buildings on the frontage. “The developers decided on a high rise after studying plans for one and two-storey concrete block apartments on the frontage. “These low-level apartments took up the whole of the ground, and looked ghastly. “A seven-storey high rise, however, with gardens around and with a town house or two in front, looked extremely attractive.” The statement said it was highly unlikely that the people of the Esplanade would want the zoning reduced to Rl, and it was also unlikely that single houses would be built on rhe foreshore. “ALTERNATIVE” The alternative to the highrise proposal was a mass of concrete low-level apartments, “which in our opinion would look appalling.” The brochure on Mariner Towers says that the twobedroom units will comprise a living-dining room, two bedrooms, bathroom, utility room and kitchen, and a terrace. The construction will be concrete block. The single bedroom units will have a 16ft square livingdining room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

The penthouse apartments have two bedrooms, but are much larger than the other units and have luxury fittings. “BETTER AREAS”

Expressing his opposition to the proposal yesterday, Mr Pickering admitted that he had not seen any plans for the project, other than a newspaper illustration.

“I think there are far better areas where this type of flats should be built. I think at this stage that Sumner is meant to be a very quiet suburb—not that I am suggesting that the people who would go in there would be rowdy—but to me Sumner does not lend itself to this type of construction,” he said. “I am on the side of the Sumner people in this,” said Mr Pickering. “If I was living there I would be opposed to it too.”