By Melissa Davies
The Government and Auckland’s mayor are at odds over the development of Queens Wharf on Auckland’s waterfront.
Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully wants a design to be signed off within weeks, but John Banks says the wharf is not needed for the World Cup so there is no point rushing through a plan.
Queens Wharf was bought for New Zealanders seven months ago, but there is still no concrete plan for the party playground it is meant to become.
Mr McCully wants to make urgent headway.
“We’ve always had a timetable that we would need to make some decisions over the coming weeks,” he says.
But Mr Banks says there is no hurry at all. In fact, he says plans can wait until the World Cup has been and gone.
“Everything is ready to host the Rugby World Cup. We will do something special with Queens Wharf, but we don’t want to take a short term opportunity delivered by Wellington, paid for by Auckland, that after the World Cup we will regret,” he says.
There are up to five development options still on the table. Banks says so far none of them are good enough.
A design by Jasmax and Architectus was on track to win a design contest before the competition was dumped in November. Their plans have since been modified to include a cruise ship terminal.
“Mayor Banks doesn’t like that particular proposal,” says Mr McCully. “But I still think that all of the options should be on the table for consideration – not just the ones that Mayor Banks likes.”
Mr McCully said today that the cost of building a cruise terminal here would be something under $50 million.
Auckland City Council has budgeted $54 million – but the mayor says he will not commit the money to anything he thinks is unsuitable.
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