You may have heard that the Salvation Army are planning to redevelop the block bordered by Normanby St, Riddiford St and Donald McLean St – with the exception of the property on the corner of Donald McLean St housing the TAB and Le Manaia (which was the Zoo Bar) and the Mission for Youth building in Donald McLean St. The plan is to have all their services in one place – and to sell their present properties in Constable St, Rintoul St and Riddiford St North.
The NRA Executive and others were invited to see and discuss the plans on 22/4/15, and the developers explained that
- The building will be 2 stories tall, with graduated heights along Normanby St, so that it eases in from residential houses to the facility.
- It will comprise of:
- main hall
- community ministries/drop in centre
- family store
- addiction treatment
- early education centre
- It is intended to be a mixed-use project that also works as a community facility (i.e. meeting room/hall hire).
- The hall will be in the middle, with other rooms all around and large amounts of glass so people can see in and see the activity, giving a sense of vibrancy to that block.
- 36 carparks will be accessed from Donald MacLean St.
In order to achieve this the plan is to demolish the existing buildings on the block. As well as the little shops and cafes on Riddiford St the Salvation Army
- Intend to pull down 2x pre1930s buildings on Donald MacLean St (currently converted into garages) – no restriction as this zone is classed commercial.
- Intend to pull down 4x pre1930s buildings on Normanby St (currently 3 rented, 1 uninhabitable) – one has no restriction as is classed as commercial, but the other 3 will require consent as they are classed residential.
They have accepted an invitation to come to the Resident’s Association meeting on 18th May to explain the plans to a wider audience.
To have a look at the areas affected follow this link to the google satellite map of the streets concerned.
newtown.org.nz 