Ports of Auckland plans to expand

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Thu, 26 Jan 2012 8:41a.m.

The port handles nearly a third of the country's trade by value (Reuters)

The port handles nearly a third of the country's trade by value (Reuters)

Details have emerged of a plan to expand Auckland's port with it seeking permission to extend one wharf 250m into the Waitemata Harbour.

Ports of Auckland wants the current coastal port zone preserved in the Auckland Plan which is being developed to shape the next 30 years for the city.

The current zone allows it to increase its operational area from 77 hectares to 95ha by 2055, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The port plans to extend Bledisloe Wharf 250m into the harbour and also wants to expand Fergusson Wharf further after land was reclaimed in 2009.

But the plan has drawn criticism from the Heart of the City lobby group which says the harbour will shrink under the proposal.

"We're not opposed to the port increasing its business, but we are opposed to the plans currently proposed," its chief executive Alex Swney told the paper.

It has released a mock-up of how the larger port would dramatically change the waterfront and urged the public to have their say on the plan.

The port handles nearly a third of the country's trade by value and is currently locked in a labour dispute with union members.

NZN

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Comments

01 Feb 2012 11:33a.m.

eddiewano wrote:

Auckland traffic is already bad enough without 4 times as many trucks leaving town in rush hour..

31 Jan 2012 08:51a.m.

jan.. wrote:

Stop dreaming' Auckland Port area is too small, consider moving your containers to Tauranga Port and leave Auckland Port for our cruise liners the surrounders and tourist..get real..

26 Jan 2012 12:07p.m.

John wrote:

Save ya money Tauranga will handle it for half the cost..

26 Jan 2012 10:58a.m.

chris wrote:

I would rather they gave less of the current ports back to Auckland (keep Captain Cook) than extend out into the harbour. They say they are ONLY extending out 250m, but the harbour crossing is not that much more then a km so they would be taking somewhere between 20-25% of the gap between Auckland and Devonport. Further they say that people wont see much of the development from the land as it will be covered/blocked by containers. Have they forgotten the North Shore (Devonport) where you will clearly be able to see it.