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A five-star hotel is concerned about losing a million-dollar guest who occupies the top floor of its south wing “365 days a year” if a social housing plot is developed next door.
Chateau Marlborough has opposed plans by Kāinga Ora, the government housing provider, to convert four state houses into 10 one-bedroom units in the inner circle of Blenheim.
Chateau Marlborough CEO and director Brent Marshall said in a hearing last week that the third floor of the hotel’s south wing, the closest to the proposed housing project, was contracted with a national company for the entire year.
The company’s identity was confidential, he said, but its employees took shifts that often forced them to sleep during the day when construction was due.
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Construction noise during construction could affect workers and jeopardize the contract, which accounted for one sixth of the hotel’s revenue.
“If we lose that contract … [then] as a result of that, unfortunately it would be necessary to cut the number of our staff, “he said.
The hotel had asked the company if its employees could move to other rooms during the construction phase.
“But the message from its parent company was very clear: relocation would not be feasible,” he said.
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The four state houses of Kāinga Ora on Charles St, on the left, and the south wing of Chateau Marlborough, in red. The hotel wants the section of Kāinga Ora closest to the hotel to expand.
Kāinga Ora noise expert Rhys Hegley said construction would begin with a 1.8 meter high acoustic fence built around the new social housing site, but that a 5 meter temporary screen could be placed at the boundary. of the hotel.
This would block noise on all three floors, he said.
But Hegley said noises during construction shouldn’t violate regional rules and that one of the loudest machines would be on site for only six of the 40 weeks.
BRYA INGRAM / THINGS
The third floor of the south wing of Chateau Marlborough, straight ahead, is outsourced to employees of a national company.
Two of the proposed units were planned for a section that Chateau Marlborough wanted for its expansion along Charles St. The hotel wanted to add another 30 rooms to its south wing, a penthouse conversion and a rooftop bar.
He bought 1 Richmond St, which bordered the other end of the land from Kāinga Ora, in October last year, hoping to swap it with Kāinga Ora for 104 Charles St, the closest to the hotel, but Kāinga Ora declined the offer.
The hotel opposed Kāinga Ora’s request to develop the sites in April, concerned about the demand for street parking and traffic levels would increase if the new houses were built, increasing the amount of parking for “non-people. authorized “at the hotel.
BRYA INGRAM / THINGS
Chateau Marlborough is concerned that construction noise from a new social housing development could jeopardize a major contract.
Kāinga Ora’s attorney, Douglas Allan, said at last week’s hearing that construction was always temporary and that “tortillas require broken eggs.”
“As a society, we … cannot stop construction simply because its effects could upset people,” he said.
The City’s resource management official, Tracey Hewitt, wrote a report on the application before the hearing, recommending its approval, after finding that the negative effects of construction on the hotel were “unavoidable.”
But attorney David Clark of Chateau Marlborough said he wanted consent conditions that promised to mitigate the noise.
Independent Hearings Commissioner Martin Williams suggested creating a construction management plan to establish how the agency would meet noise standards.
CHLOE RANFORD / LDR
Chateau Marlborough has opposed a request to build 10 one-bedroom social houses along Charles St due to traffic and noise issues.
“You [Kāinga Ora] They are building next to a hotel that depends on a seven-figure contract with a client who says: ‘We want those 365 days of the year and it’s up, or we go.’ That is a reality of the neighborhood, ”he said.
Chateau Marlborough also repeated his concerns about parking at the hearing.
Kāinga Ora said he planned to establish one off-street parking per house, but replace eight on-street parks with a “no-stop” zone, so that tenants have better access to the entrance.
His traffic expert said removing the eight parking lots would only force city workers to park lower down on Charles St, which could encourage a shift to sustainable transportation.
BRYA INGRAM / THINGS
Kāinga Ora wants to replace four state houses with 10 one-bedroom state houses, some detached and some duplex.
He said that on-street parking was a public good, not a right.
“I recognize that some [tenants] you will have more than one vehicle. However, I understand that Kāinga Ora can assign tenants to the house, ”he said.
“In addition, the residents of these homes will know that they have only one park and my expectation is that they take care of the transportation and ownership of the car.”
Williams said that as a solution, Kāinga Ora could put a clause in his lease that requires tenants to tell guests not to park in the Chateau Marlborough parking lot.
CHLOE RANFORD / LDR
City workers use Charles St as a free parking spot.
Allan said it was “a very big hammer for a very small nut.”
“It will end up with a tenant who may or may not remember, and a guest who may or may not obey. At first glance, it’s a good idea, but it might end up not happening. “
The hearing was adjourned on Thursday afternoon.
Kāinga Ora was to build 108 new state housing in Marlborough over the next four years, of which 89 would be “public housing” and 19 would be transitional housing.
The council granted him permission to convert five properties on Brewer St into 14 two-bedroom units in September.
