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The long-delayed upgrade of the Auckland Art Gallery faces another hitch after protests to Land Information Minister David Parker about taking land from Albert Park for the $113 million project.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee and Sandra Coney, who chairs the council's parks and heritage committee, have written to Mr Parker expressing concern about a bill to reclassify about 1100sq m of Albert Park Reserve for art gallery purposes.
In their letter, the two regional councillors said only non-controversial matters qualified for inclusion in omnibus legislation disposing of reserve land.
Audrey van Ryn, who with her husband, Chris, has taken legal action against the design and impact of the new gallery on Albert Park, has also written to Mr Parker saying it is a contentious issue and should not be included in the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal (ROLD) legislation.
The latest protests follow a two-year delay in gaining resource consent for the upgrade, which is partly to blame for a $16.6 million blowout in the cost from $96.4 million to $113 million in March.
The gallery has been closed since February, waiting for the biggest overhaul of the 1887 French-style colonial icon. By the projected completion date of late 2010, the gallery will feature 50 per cent more gallery space.
The parties to legal action are due back in the Environment Court today for what gallery director Chris Saines hopes will be another step to obtaining resource consent and starting work.
Mr Saines yesterday said the gallery had legal advice saying it could start work before the bill was passed.
Of the 1117sq m of land needed for the upgrade, only small parcels adding up to 100sq m were designated parkland. The rest was previously designed for gallery use, he said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Parker said the minister would consider Mr Lee and Sandra Coney's letter, but their views did not necessarily make the legislation controversial.
Auckland City Mayor John Banks said Mr Lee and Sandra Coney's action was extraordinarily disappointing.
Mr Lee was unrepentant last night, saying taking scarce public open space in central Auckland set a thoroughly bad precedent.
