Thorndon Heritage

Ascot Terrace houses, Thorndon

Late in 2008, Wellington City Council began a review of the planning rules for the suburban centres and residential areas. It was part of the Council's 10-year review of the city's town-planning rule book - the District Plan.

Study of the Thorndon Area

As a part of the review, the Council commissioned a study of Thorndon to identify any groups of residential buildings that were significant because of their heritage values. Five areas of heritage interest in Thorndon were identified.

Thorndon Heritage Report (745Kb PDF)
The Historic Context and Heritage Values of Thorndon (113Kb PDF)

December 2008 - May 2009 Consultation

The Council consulted the community on proposed changes to the rules for residential areas and suburban centres, including the Thorndon area. Due to high levels of interest in the Thorndon project results, the consultation timeframe for Thorndon was extended for a further two months.

Key themes that emerged from the consultation process include:

Widespread agreement that Thorndon's heritage is important
General support for improved management of heritage 'streetscapes'
Any new heritage provisions for the suburb should be tailored specifically for Thorndon
Concerns about the need to seek resource consent from the Council for minor works.

Summary of Consultation and Feedback (118Kb PDF)

August - November 2009 Consultation

The Council proposed a revised planning approach in response to concerns raised in the December 2008 - May 2009 consultation. This was open for consultation until 6 November 2009.

Consultation feedback will be analysed and posted here in early 2010.

Next Steps

The Council is working with the Thorndon Residents Association to ensure feedback from as many people as possible is taken into account in developing District Plan provisions for Thorndon's residential areas.

To allow for this, a third round of consultation will take place from late November 2009 to late March 2010. Council officers and the Thorndon Residents Association are also planning a series of workshops and informal meetings to discuss the provisions. The dates and venues will be posted on this page once available.

Thorndon ratepayers will be notified by post about options for providing input, and participation is encouraged from the wider Wellington community.

It is hoped that by mid-2010 we will have come up with workable, practical provisions for Thorndon.

More Information

Vivien Rickard
Principal Heritage Advisor

Phone:	(04) 803 8122
Email:	vivien.rickard