Devonport fast-track application: Developer explains new apartment/hotel block plans as locals prepare balloon launch

Anne GibsonProperty Editor·NZ Herald·31 Jul, 2026 01:00 AM4 mins to read‌Mark Hiddleston of Peninsula Capital explains the thinking behind the proposal for buildings up to eight levels high in the North Shore heritage area.Apartment and hotel blocks planned to rise above Devonport’s heritage Edwardian and Victorian buildings will be recessed from the main street frontage to cut dominance, the developer says. But on Sunday locals are preparing to launch helium-filled balloons to show what they say is the true extent of the height,