SkyCity to keep terminal, but wants move

SkyCity says the bus terminal must remain on its premises, unless Auckland Council wants it elsewhere. Photo/Michael Craig

Housing bus terminal a requirement of resource consent

SkyCity Entertainment Group must keep Auckland's inter city bus terminal at its Auckland headquarters, it says, unless Auckland Council wants it elsewhere.

The business has released a statement spelling out its requirement to house the terminal interchange which Auckland Transport is proposing be moved to Manukau.

"Housing a bus terminal is a requirement of SkyCity Auckland's resource consent and the terminal will be there for as long as Auckland Council requires it to be," a SkyCity spokesperson said.

Auckland Transport said this week while nothing had yet been decided, Manukau was a preferred location to the CBD.

"We have done an assessment and have decided that Manukau is a good option," a spokesman said, describing talks with the inter-city operators.

"It has a good area for the pick-up of passengers, has excellent connections to public transport in the east and south and for anyone heading to the city or the north or west the Manukau Train Station is just steps away," an AT spokesman said.

SkyCity says the current location is not suitable for the interchange.

"Along with many other stakeholders, SkyCity has long argued that the site is unsuitable as a bus interchange. However, the decision over whether the terminal moves, and where to, is a matter for Auckland Council, not SkyCity, so you'd need to speak to the council or Auckland Transport about that," the spokesperson said.

Heart of the City, bus giants InterCity and InMotion and the Public Transport Users Association all want the terminal to remain in the CBD.

George Wood, a former North Shore mayor and ward councillor who is now local board representative, cited a Herald article from 1992 spelling out why the terminal was at SkyCity's premises.

"SkyCity did say they would build a bus terminal on their site when the controversial land swap occurred back in 1992," Wood said.

Two years ago, Nigel Morrison who was at the time SkyCity chief executive, expressed a desire for the terminal to be moved. The busy transport hub, which has operated on the ground floor of the casino giant's premises since 1996, was not in the best place for either his business or for passengers, he said in 2014.

He wanted authorities to examine better locations and suggested Britomart because InterCity would then link with other public transport modes, including trains, suburban buses and ferries. He called for action from Auckland Council.