A new National Storage building is under construction on New North Rd, Mt Albert, Auckland. Image / Tattico
A three-level self-storage facility under construction in Auckland’s Mt Albert has been labelled “incompatible” with the area by an upset local.
In May 2024, an Auckland Council resource consent manager granted approval for the National Storage building on New North Rd.
But Qing Yu wrote on the Mt Albert locals’ Facebook page that the project was incompatible with Mt Albert’s community vision.
“By allowing industrial-scale logistics to occupy prime land on New North Rd, the council is effectively devaluing the residential appeal of Mt Albert,” Yu wrote.
Planners Tattico said Brisbane-based The Trust Company, as custodian for the National Storage New Zealand Property Trust, sought approval for the self-storage building at 955 New North Rd.
Yu wrote: “We call upon the local board to formally review how this project was deemed consistent with the Albert-Eden Local Board Plan, which advocates for vibrant and connected town centres.
At 953 New North Rd, a new McDonald’s restaurant has been granted consent.
Tattico’s application for the Mt Albert project said more of these buildings were needed.
“With intensification, there is an increasing demand for self-storage facilities to allow people to store their items,” Tattico said in its application to the council.
The new 11,888sq m building on a 6409sq m site is to have storage units of varying sizes.
There are to be 17 on-site car parks and two dedicated loading bays accessible for medium-rigid trucks.
A 123sq m shop selling boxes is also proposed.
The building is to cover most of the site, set back 2m from the road boundary to allow a landscaping strip.
A railway line runs behind the location.
The site has a single frontage to New North Rd, which forms a major west-east link between Eden Terrace and Avondale.
“In terms of the overall height, bulk and form, the proposed building, at approximately 14m above ground level, has been kept well under the permitted height of 24m,” Tattico’s application said.
“This is to ensure the building is sympathetic and relates closely to the surrounding context.”
Dark and light colours are combined to provide contrast and a modern, clean background for National Storage brand identification.
The council allowed non-notified consent because it said the building was acceptable for that zone and location.
The building would not detract from the existing and future amenity values of adjacent public streets.
“While utilitarian in nature, the building has been designed to utilise architectural techniques which break up the overall built form to an acceptable degree and enhance the overall appearance of the building,” the decision said.
National Storage says it is one of Australasia’s largest self-storage providers, “tailoring self-storage solutions to residential and commercial customers at over 230 storage centres across Australia and New Zealand”.
The business offers storage in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin.
Its first site was in Oxley, Brisbane, and its 200th centre in Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast.
Last year, the Herald reported low-profile North Shore businessman Dave Tuke had sold Auckland’s biggest storage chain, founded 34 years ago, to A$4 billion ($4.8b) Australian giant Kennards.
Tuke founded National Mini Storage.
A joint statement from Kennards and Tuke’s business said National Mini Storage was founded in 1991 with its first base in Penrose.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.