The proposed hotel, residential, conference centre at Paraparaumu Beach

Carol from Raumati South

Did you see the artist's impression of this proposed building in a recent Kapiti Observer? The remarkable thing is its banality. The KCDC district plan has an aesthetic component, which Safari Group (the developer) has not referenced. A check of their online portfolio shows this proposal is a regurgitation of past work, including some pretty ordinary architecture. Given the terrific location on prime waterfront, there's an opportunity for this building to be an attraction in its own right. It doesn't have to be a Len Lye, or a Sydney Opera House, or a Hundertwasser (but such originality would definitely generate the desired local income). Lucky for us, the regular consent process is back, so stand up community if you'd like the developer to put in a bit more effort for Kapiti. Or, we'll have the whale sculpture at one end of the beach (an extraordinary drawcard for generating local income), and an office block at the other.