Subscribe to RSSLee Says Council Move Election Stunt
ARC chair Mike Lee is dismissing as an “election stunt” today’s Auckland City Council decision to recommit $26 million to doing up the Queens Wharf sheds.
“Mr Banks’ chopping and changing on Queens Wharf confirms that while he has ambition to become Super Mayor, he will never be a leader,” said Mr Lee.
“The money ‘recommitted’ by Mr Banks and his Citizens and Ratepayers followers is significantly less than the $56 million the Auckland City Council put aside last year for a new cruise ship terminal and is really just about Mr Banks’ Super Mayor election campaign,” said Mr Lee.
“It is also blatantly hypocritical when Mr Banks and his C & R- dominated council are right this minute planning to put a wrecking ball through two fine art-deco style buildings Auckland City Council owns on Wynyard Point They are also obstructing ARC attempts to classify the two buildings and others in the Wynyard Quarter as character buildings.”
These are the buildings he is talking about:
Mr Lee said Mr Banks’ attitude to the new cruise ship terminal on Queens Wharf – ‘we don’t want a boat shed on Queen Wharf’ – was very similar to his position on Britomart when in 2001, he campaigned against a ‘train garage at the bottom of Queen Street’.
“Just as at Britomart, Mr Banks and C&R are making a last minute attempt to sabotage plans for Queens Wharf,” said Mr Lee.
“The ARC and Government are working with the Historic Places Trust on retaining as much of the heritage elements of the Queens Wharf sheds and the wharf as possible.
“At the same time, the ARC’s attempts to protect character buildings in the Wynyard Quarter district plan change are being vigorously opposed by Auckland City Council.
“The ARC is also before the Environment Court trying to protect a Maori burial site on pristine Owhiti Beach on eastern Waiheke Island from a coastal development – again opposed by Auckland City Council.” The ARC and Government remain committed to a new permanent cruise ship terminal on Queens Wharf.
Research done by the ARC, Government and Auckland City Council shows that on average, each cruise ship passenger spends between $200 and $300 in Auckland each day. Government research shows the cruise ship industry contributed $117 million to GDP during the 2007-2008 season.
Earlier John Banks said: “Not withstanding the blind disregard for the restoration of the historic sheds on Queens Wharf, the Auckland City Council hope the owners will accept this as an 11th hour bid for common sense,” he said.”
Mayor Banks is encouraging the owners of Queens Wharf – the Government and the Auckland Regional Council – to consider revamping the sheds as an alternative to “turning them into firewood and replacing them with a temporary quick fix”.
5 Comments
I know Aaron Bhatnagar reads this blog and is the campaign strategist for Banks, flip flopping this many times so quickly will not win Banks the support he is obviously trying to garnered by Cayford’s excellent advocacy (which I disagree with), it makes him look indecisive and turns off an electorate already fed up with our region looking like a bunch of headless chickens…
Meh, I like the sheds (or at least one) to be kept, and restored, so I won’t criticise Banks for doing just that.
Bring on the bulldozer!!!!!!! Just get some one to accidently knock the sheds over and this whole debate will be over.
nice john, you get the digger/bulldozer, i’ll acidently loose control smash through the building’s half a dozen times then over the edge to make it look real, luckly not wearing a seat belt.
You can’t not wear a seatbealt while rabidly destroying heritage property, Joshua.
OSH regulations for acts of vandalism also clarify that to be indemnified from regret, you need to wear an orange helmet, and get a certificate of acceptance (from someone born 2025 or later) before you are allowed to knock down the heritage buildings in any area.
As an alternative, loudly shouting “progress” will do too, though.