Marlborough Oval will remain the focal point of Marlborough Precinct in new plans released by the developer.

Winton Partners has been chosen to develop Marlborough (formerly Sunderland C), a precinct which encompasses the oval, Jimmy’s Point, the current Hobsonville Land Company offices, a seaplane hangar on Launch Road and four existing Officer’s houses.

The focus of the masterplan for the precinct is to keep the oval in its existing shape as the main feature with a communal feel. The developer also intends to build a park space between the oval and the interface with The Landing incorporating design features, seating and some play elements.

Meanwhile, the seaplane hangar’s exterior will be brought back to its historic best while the interior will be developed into edgy, loft-style apartments. A further nine buildings will

bring the number of apartment offerings to around 300 dwellings. The four existing former Officer’s houses on the waterfront will be refurbished and subdivided, and an additional 14 standalone homes built on the southern and western sides of the oval once Hudson Bay Road has been realigned.

Civil works, including developing a look- out at Jimmy’s Point, are forecast to start towards the end of 2017 with construction planned for late 2018. Studio Pacific, Athfield Architects, Monk Mackenzie and Jasmax have been commissioned to design the apartment buildings while Origin Consultants will assist with the heritage architecture on the Officer’s houses. The project is the first in Auckland for Winton Partners, which is also leading residential developments in Queenstown, Wanaka, the Coromandel Peninsula and Northland.