Devonport is a charming Edwardian suburb on the North shore of the Waitemata Harbour, facing Auckland city. Its old ferry terminal and pier were in a state of advanced dilapidation and was offerd to potential developers by the Auckland Harbour Board in 1987 in an open competition. The charm of the towm was considerable and it was important for the Harbour Board to be sure that the designs were in keeping with the character of the town and supported by the town's community.

I was employed as a design consultant by one of the proposed devlopers - Wilkins and Davies, to help with the design proposal. I advised on the choice of the architect - Hotson, Bakker of Vancouver (a firm with considerable experience in waterfront design), in the development of design principles and brief and in the development of the final design proposal. I also organised and facilitated a community meeting and public forum where residents were able to contribute their ideas - all of which were included in the final design.

The scheme  included a small (40 room) hotel, together with a mix of retail accommodation and a greatly improved ferry terminal complex, all topped by a major waterfront restaurant. The scheme was budgeted at $8 million. The design was one of two that were short-listed but was not finally chosen. The winning scheme was built, but failed financially (it did not contain the hotel accommodation - key, as we knew, to the financial viability of the scheme). Proposals are currently (2009) being sought to redevelop the facility.

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