Devonport design finalists chosen

Three designs have been chosen from 34 entrants to go through to the next stage in the Ideas Devonport design competition.

The finalists are Chris Glassl from Urban Initiatives, Aaron Sills and Christina van Bohemen from Sills van Bohemen Architecture and Barry Rae from Barry Rae Transurban Ltd. They will each receive $3000 to take their ideas and turn them into more detailed designs.

Common features of the designs include turning Bartley Square into a real square or plaza with defined edges such as buildings, trees and planting. There are also ideas to improve pedestrian access along the eastern side of Victoria Rd to the waterfront, enhance Bartley Tce with better pedestrian links and redesign Wynyard St.

Other aspects were individual to each design. Barry Rae's design featured a large public square in front of the Esplanade Hotel with a wide pedestrian crossing to the ferry terminal. Chris Glassl's design provided pedestrian access through Mt Victoria in and out of Devonport. Aaron Sills' and Christina van Bohemen's design had strong pedestrian links through Bartley Square to Victoria Rd.

More than 300 people came to view the entries and many completed a feedback form.

Devonport Community Board chairperson, Mike Cohen, was delighted with the number of entries, variety of ideas and the level of community feedback to the competition, which was the first of its kind.

"It's great that so many people in the community feel passionate about Devonport and how its unique heritage and seaside village character can be enhanced and complemented," he says.

"People have really got behind this urban design initiative and have put forward a variety of ideas and comments."

North Shore City environmental policy advisor, Grant Harris, says the community's comments, along with suggestions from the assessment panel, will be passed on to the three finalists to consider in their detailed planning.

Mr Harris says the next stage goes beyond broad-brush ideas.

"What comes out of this next phase could really shape how Devonport looks in the future. The three finalists will need to carefully consider Devonport's heritage, public and private transport, pedestrians, cycling and parking in their detailed designs."

Mr Cohen hopes that stage two will have a more integrated focus that supports Devonport as a people friendly place to live and visit, as well as a viable commercial centre.

The Ideas Devonport competition, launched late last year, invited local residents, students and design professionals to put forward ideas for Devonport's Bartley Square, Victoria Rd, Marine Square, and how they link. The designs were assessed by a panel comprising urban designers Doug Leighton and James Lunday, landscape architect Gavin Lister, and long-time local resident and chair of the North Shore Heritage Trust, Paddy Stafford-Bush.

The competition brief, aerial and panoramic photos of the area can be viewed on the council's website http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/

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