Queen St redesign: Businesses lose court bid to halt council redevelopment work
A group of downtown Auckland businesses have lost their bid to temporarily halt work on a planned upgrade of Queen Street, due to begin on Monday.
In a statement, Save the Queen Street said it was disappointed an interim injunction to delay work was unsuccessful, but said members would continue to prepare for a more substantive court hearing, aimed at pushing back against the redevelopment plans.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the court’s decision, saying the redesign would make Queen St more people-friendly and accessible.
The council intends to improve pedestrian spaces between Shortland and Customs streets, limit traffic to a single lane each way with bus priority in the evening peak, with work scheduled for the next six weeks.
Save Queen Street, which includes commercial landlords and retailers, argued that ongoing trials of new arrangement could run for years, damaging commerce in an already struggling strip.
“The current arrangement of the street has caused economic harm – business are up against it,” their lawyer Sam Lowery told Wednesday’s injunction hearing.
The council’s lawyer Padraig McNamara said given Save Queen Street wanted to stop the improvements to the 2020 temporary arrangement of plastic sticks and concrete blocks, its injunction bid was “counter-intuitive”.
Businesses have been hit by the absence of foreign tourists and overseas students, and from more office staff working from home, the court heard.
Lowery told the High Court foot traffic was down 40 per cent or more, 90 of 345 retail shopfronts are empty, and part of the problem is the council’s treatment of the street over the past year.
In a statement released after the court decision on Thursday, Goff said the council would continue to work with all stakeholders to progress improvements to Queen St.
While the court decision means work can begin as planned on May 10, Save Queen Street has put forward 10 further challenges that will be heard at a substantive court hearing. A date for that hearing has not yet been set.
The redevelopment will see pavements widened with high-quality decking, new street furniture and vibrant green spaces with native planting and a new pocket park.
Todd Niall.
Hi neighbours,
What do you think of the redevelopment plans for Queen St?
*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.
Poll: Does the building consent process need to change?
We definitely need homes that are fit to live in but there are often frustrations when it comes to getting consent to modify your own home.
Do you think changes need made to the current process for building consent? Share your thoughts below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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91.3% Yes
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8.2% No
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0.5% Other - I'll share below!
Lest we forget...
On this ANZAC Day, let's take a moment to remember and honor the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.
Tell us who are you honouring today. Whether it's a story from the battlefield or a memory of a family member who fought in the war, we'd love you to share your stories below.
Original Art on Baseball Caps / Hats
Hello everyone,
I am presenting a limited release of hand-painted artwork on Baseball Caps. There will only be 29 caps in this range. For now, please do have a look at the first seven Caps attached. I will post more in the future as I work on them.
Price per piece = $55.00.
Fabric look/feel is suede-like (not real suede). It is a really nice quality cap. You can zoom out each photo to view better.
Adjustable backstrap with metal clasp.
NOTE: Some Caps have more than one photo to give you views from different sides (I can send you more photos if required).
Mother's Day is just two weeks away. This would make a really memorable yet practical gift for that special person. OR...get it for yourself! Just know that when you are wearing it to brunch, on your walks or at tennis/golf, YOU are the only person in the world with this original piece of wearable art ☺️.
Pickup in Remuera or happy to courier:
P&p $16.00 (with signature)
Rural addresses +$5.50.
If you want it sent overseas, I am happy to quote.
For the remaining Caps that I will be painting, if you have any suggestions that you would like to see, or if you would like to order a cap with a particular bird/flower et , I am happy to consider. No portraits please! That would be too hard on fabric 😅.
Have a lovely weekend,
Connie.
PS. I apologise for the low photo resolution as I had to resize them down to be able to post.
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