Rudman's city: Call to reclaim harbour wasteland as public park

By BRIAN RUDMAN

Just how much is left in Auckland City's parks budget after the purchase of the old Pah homestead in Hillsborough, I'm not too sure. But if there is an odd penny or three, then maybe it's time to take seriously the future of the stretch of publicly owned wasteland under the city side of the harbour bridge.

The Pah farm site cost $9.5 million. The bridge site - if the port company and Transit New Zealand can be persuaded or shamed into making it available - could cost next to nothing. In fact, there's already $150,000 in Infrastructure Auckland's piggy-bank specifically set aside for such a project.

With imaginative landscaping, the site could be turned into a seaside recreational area to match the Tamaki Drive reserves across town.

Of course it's not a new idea. Rehabilitation schemes for the area have been floated intermittently since the bridge opened in 1959.

Three years ago, a short-lived organisation called the Auckland Harbour Edge Planning Association tried - and failed - to gain officialdom's interest.

At the time, renovating Viaduct Harbour in time for the America's Cup was rather higher up on officialdom's list of priorities. However, the planning association did achieve a victory of sorts in getting the aforementioned $150,000 set aside.

Now another champion for what he calls Auckland Harbour Bridge Park has emerged - a leading city architect, Jasmax director Richard Harris.

The state of the western approaches under the bridge to Westhaven has long bugged him.

In February this year he fired off a letter to the Herald in support of a proposal being floated for a free cycle and footpath across the bridge. He went further, suggesting that Transit New Zealand, which owns some of the land, "should also remove the shantytown-like storage depot and its barbed-wire enclosure from under the Westhaven abutment. It is an embarrassment to Auckland.

"In its place they should provide an attractively landscaped environment. The people of Auckland and their beloved icon deserve more than Transit New Zealand is offering."

Inspired by his own letter - and the favourable response - Mr Harris followed up with presentations to both the Western Bays Community Board and the city's parks and recreation committee.

One of the attractions of the Harris proposal for keepers of the public purse is surely that it doesn't involve any multi-million-dollar grand plan, a la the Viaduct Harbour. All he's suggesting is that the various publicly owned bodies concerned get together and agree to a modest make-over, involving such improvements as street lighting, seating and trees.

He wants the existing roadway properly edged. At the moment, the asphalt on one side just crumbles like a badly kept country road into the adjacent paddock. He wants the remains of the concrete caisson, a left-over from the bridge construction now rotting in the water against the seawall, removed. Ditto the rusting drums and other assorted debris.

As for the Transit storage depot under the bridge, Mr Harris says there's no strategic reason for siting it there. "Big buildings all need maintenance stores. But they don't put them beside the front door like here."

On the other side of the roadway, he also has ideas of a footpath running along the base of the St Marys Bay cliffs, from Beaumont St around to Pt Erin Park.

He argues that the port company has no strategic interest in any of this land and it could be put to much better use. "It's very hard in the western suburbs to drive to a park, look out to sea, and indulge in recreational fishing." For those in the know, it's already a popular fishing, walking and jogging spot. But with a bit of effort it could be so much better, he says.

For me, a certain amount of noise-proofing is also needed. With Transit's recent conversion to anti-noise baffles, that shouldn't be too hard to do.

Indeed if I was the road builder's PR man, I would suggest support now for the bridge park project would buy lots of Brownie points for when Transit goes ahead with plans to hijack more of Victoria Park to widen the existing flyover.

Ports of Auckland's apparent dog-in-the-manger stance over its portion of the land will have to be confronted.

The Harbour Edge Planning Association was seen off with claims the land was wanted for longer-term commitments. What these are is never explained.

But even if there is some long-term possible use, what's to stop the land providing pleasure for Aucklanders and visitors in the meantime?