Damien van Brandenburg, of Architecture Van Brandenburg, told a public gathering on Saturday larger waterfront projects had been completed overseas in as little as eight years.
There were gasps and warm applause as plans for the redevelopment of Dunedin’s waterfront received an enthusiastic reception at a packed public gathering at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
About 80 people turned up to see a presentation on the concept unveiled by Mr van Brandenburg and Dunedin businessman Ian Taylor late last year.
The concept, which would include an array of new signature buildings and public spaces, was then described as a 30-year plan.
But Mr van Brandenburg pointed to much larger waterfront developments in Sydney, which had been completed within eight years.
"If we take steps we can reduce that [30-year] timeframe," Mr van Brandenburg said.
"There are ways we could make this a faster realisation than 30 years," he said.
That was music to the ears of the public gallery, some of whom said they wanted to live long enough to see the results.
Mr van Brandenburg said there was already interest from private sector developers and other potential investors, including international universities, wanting to contribute to the project.
He had also talked to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about tapping into the Government’s $1billion regional development fund, although he had originally expected government funds would not be needed.
"I have always thought we can do this ourselves," he said.
The key would be maintaining momentum and making sure the city’s key stakeholders — from the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council to Port Otago, the University of Otago and Ngai Tahu — were aligned.
That united front would make the proposal more attractive to potential investors, he said.
"I’m certain that that would be very encouraging for any developer who wants to work in the city," he said.
The first key step would be to build a footbridge linking the harbourside to the rest of the city, to improve access to the area, he said.
That was to be considered by the DCC, beginning later this month, as part of its deliberations on a revised long-term plan.
But attention was also turning to how the rest of the key projects could be staged — the ferry terminal, marine science building and public aquarium, a five-star hotel and the cockleshell-shaped cultural centre.
Talks with potential developers could help shape those sorts of decisions, he said.
The final designs could change as plans evolved, but design covenants could also be used to stipulate what sort of development the community would accept on the waterfront, he said.
The talk won praise from members of the audience, as several people offered their congratulations to Mr van Brandenburg for his work to date.
"It’s an outstanding concept. It’s beautiful ... and people will come to Dunedin to see it," one woman said.
A model of the concept plans was already on show at Toitu, and had already helped encourage nearly 2000 people to send public feedback forms to the DCC, museum director Jennifer Evans said.
