City lobby group ups ante

The brand-new Scene Apartments, overlooking the water at the bottom of Anzac St, are - from yesterday - at the receiving end of a huge red arrow plastered over a nearby billboard.

The billboard message is from Urban Auckland: "This building did not have to block your view."

David Service, marketing manager for the Redwood Group, the Scene's developer, said that - usually with developments - it came down to the best use of the land to make it economically viable.

There were three buildings and a gap had been allowed between them. The issue was with council rules rather than developers, and the developer was stuck in the middle of the argument, he said.

The hoarding will be up for about a month and is expected to raise the tempo of the debate around Auckland's rapid inner-city development.

Urban Auckland is focused on what it sees as developments making a mockery of the city's "City of Sails" moniker.

Prominent architect and group member Nigel Cook said the point of the billboard was simple: "Council officials have no idea how to handle the growth in the city; we want the rules changed."

Urban Auckland, established in 2000, is proving to be an influential advocate for better design in the central city.

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