By Dan Parker
The Government has committed to completing a park in front of the National War Memorial in time for the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli.
It's a sure sign of progress, but the finished product will fall well short of what was originally promised.
In 2004 the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in a tomb at the base of the National War Memorial., but the rest has been anything but peaceful.
State Highway 1 is just metres away – the oft-congested and noisy bypass cuts the memorial off from the city and its people.
"It's just dreadful to have this sonic collision of traffic and sirens," says Paul Riley.
For years land adjacent to the memorial has been set aside, sitting empty, waiting for a promised permanent park. It was supposed to be completed by 2008, but the Government's come up with a new deadline.
"It will all be done by 2015," says MP Chris Findlayson.
That would be in time for the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli, but with the city council struggling to agree on roading projects, even that date could be under threat.
It also hasn't been decided whether the existing State Highway will go around or under the park.
"I would hope that we will have some final plans by the end of the year, and get on with the development of the site and I'm just talking to people about the type of memorials that could be placed on the site in the years to come," says Mr Findlayson.
Finding any one person to blame for the delays is futile. A string of historical let downs from successive Governments and councils has seen expectations slashed.
"I think there would be a lot of Wellingtonians that have been a bit depressed at how slow the progress has been," says Wellington MP Grant Robertson.
But what's more depressing is what could have been. In 1932 the War Memorial was opened on Anzac Day with plans to further enhance its commanding position with a pedestrian boulevard to the waterfront.
Today with buildings, developments and Courtenay Place in the way, it's not possible.
3 News