North Shore council to oppose V8 street race

11.30am

North Shore City Council will formally oppose the planned V8 Supercar race in downtown Auckland.

The New Zealand round of the championship will be held at Pukekohe for the last time next year and organisers want to move it to Auckland's streets from 2006.

The proposal needs resource consent, with the deadline for objections being the end of the month.

North Shore mayor George Wood today said his council was in the process of lodging an objection, after its strategy and finance committee voted unanimously this week against the street race.

The move puts North Shore at loggerheads with neighbouring Auckland City Council, which bid for the race along with promoters, IMG.

The 2.6km circuit for the three-day event runs past the Viaduct Basin and the Sky Tower, and around Victoria Park, and road closures would include motorway on-ramps and off-ramps in the inner city.

Mr Wood said the result would be increased congestion on the already clogged Auckland Harbour Bridge and adjoining motorways that form part of State Highway 1.

While it was Transit New Zealand's responsibility to keep traffic flowing through SH1, the issue was one that greatly affected the North Shore.

"SH1 will be open, but the on-ramps and off-ramps have a big impact on the traffic being taken away," he said.

"We have to look after the interests of the community. Auckland is a big metropolitan city. While this event is taking place, people should be able to go about their lawful business."

Mr Wood said his council was still awaiting details from race organisers on proposals such as free ferries and buses during the event to ease road traffic flow.

While getting that information might take time, the June 30 deadline meant North Shore had to confirm its opposition now so its views would be considered during resource consent hearings.

Mr Wood said it was always possible that race organisers could end up answering his council's concerns, "but I've got no idea how they would do that at this stage".

An independent commissioner appointed by Auckland council will hear the resource consent application, with an appeal available to the Environment Court.

- NZPA