Council leaves it to the end to tick $20.8m deal

The Waitakere City Council meets yesterday for the very last time. All council business will now be handed over to the Auckland Council. Photo / Richard Robinson

A $20.8 million contract to finish the New Lynn transport centre development was approved by Waitakere City Council yesterday in its dying minutes.

It also approved the Government financial assistance package for leaky homes.

Dempsey Wood Civil Contractors was awarded the contract for stages 2 and 3 from a shortlist of six contractors after tenders were evaluated under the NZ Transport Agency price quality method.

The company is completing the stage 1 works.

Council infrastructure and works chairman Derek Battersby said it was the final push to finish the council's part of the $400 million transit-oriented development with the building of Clark St extension, Totara Ave West and Todd Triangle.

It would let traffic bypass the New Lynn town centre by Clark St and a bridge over the railway lines and an intersection with Great North Rd.

"People coming off the motorway down Wolverton St will get a clear ride up to Henderson which will allow more control over traffic flow in New Lynn's retail and business area," Mr Battersby said.

The work, which is additional to running underground railway lines through New Lynn and building a new bus-rail interchange, would end the years of congestion.

Mr Battersby said the ratepayers' share was $36 million: "So, well done, Waitakere City. It's a good spend."

The project documentation was finalised, he said, and the project would now pass over to the Auckland Council and its council-controlled organisations.

The city's redevelopment of New Lynn around a new transport centre is a joint venture in which it will build a parking building and listed company Infratil will carry out developments, including a medical centre.

New business and residential opportunities will maintain 20,000 residents and 14,000 workers by 2030, says the council.

In other business yesterday, the council also approved an easement over Rush Creek Reserve, Massey, to allow Transpower to bury power cables to serve the Massey North business and residential development.

The main trunk cables are currently carried overhead on five pylons but a joint project by Transpower and NZ Retail Property Group will put them underground.