A seaside cottage at the centre of a coastal walkway dispute has been removed from sale.
The owners of Firth Cottage, at 9 Kitchener Road, in Auckland's Takapuna, had put the property on the market in March, after closing off the walkway to members of the public.
They had been in legal fight with Auckland Council over the heritage status of the property.
OneRoof reached out to the owner's legal representative for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication.
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The 100-year-old cottage, which has a CV of $6.81 million and is on 1072sqm of prime waterfront land, has a Category A heritage protection status under the council’s unitary plan, which prevents it from being removed or the site redeveloped, though buyers can renovate the interior.
A small section of the 2.5km Milford to Takapuna costal walkway runs through the property, and the owners had offered to give that part to Auckland Council if the council removed the heritage status from the cottage.
The owners' preference had been to sell to a buyer who'd keep the walkway open, but they also raised the possibility selling to a "private owner seeking the privacy of no walkway".
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In May, Taryn Crewe, Auckland Council’s general manager of parks and community facilities, told OneRoof the walkway was not so much a public walkway as a coastal walkway.
It was an informal route, which crossed a mix of private land, council reserve parcels, a legal road and Department of Conservation-managed coastal foreshore. “The private land access has always been at the discretion of the landowners.”
Crewe said the council could not remove a heritage scheduling at the request of a landowner.
“The process requires heritage assessments, public consultation, and a decision by independent commissioners," she said.
The fence that went up in September last year, blocking access to the walkway through the property. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The cottage has a heritage overlay. Photo / Supplied
“It is not a decision that elected members can make. The owners have always been able to initiate this process themselves and have been repeatedly advised on the steps involved in this process.”
Crewe said the council never intended to acquire the entire property.
“The negotiations were initiated in 2012 and have continued intermittently to secure public access via an easement of a new walkway only," she said.
“The terms proposed in 2018 were for the council to acquire the entire property for a purpose that the council did not require.”
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