Promenade along Quay St wins widespread support

Aucklanders are embracing the idea of an 800m waterfront promenade along Quay St after rejecting various ideas to revamp Queens Wharf for the Rugby World Cup.

Creating a promenade from the Viaduct Harbour to Bledisloe Wharf has been suggested by Cooper and Company, the developer of the Britomart project, as an alternative to turning Queens Wharf into "party central" and building a cruise ship terminal in time for the cup.

The developer's uncosted plan involves using land behind the red fence to create a 35m-wide promenade lined with trees and hedges and include seating and lighting. The existing four lanes of road, 20m wide, would stay.

Between Queens and Captain Cook Wharves would be a stepped terrace down to the water's edge facing a giant screen on a pontoon.

The plan has been prepared by the Britomart master planner, Sydney architect Richard Johnson, who was involved with facilities for the Sydney Olympics and various expos. He drew on promenades in Sydney, Melbourne, Barcelona and Shanghai.

The project would front Britomart and be on the doorstep of a controversial hotel planned by the developer for the Seafarers Building site on Quay St.

Feedback to the Herald has been overwhelmingly in support of the promenade.

Unitec associate professor of architecture Dushko Bogunovich, who said the design contest for Queens Wharf was more about politics, money and egos than good design, said the Johnson plan made a lot of sense.

It "civilised" one of the ugliest parts of the city, connected the eastern and western sections of the waterfront, linked Britomart/High St/Vulcan Lane to the harbour and allowed the finger wharves - Queens, Captain Cook and Marsden - to come under a masterplan, he said yesterday.

Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney, a longtime critic of ad hoc waterfront planning, said there was a lot to like about the Johnson plan.

"Quay St is currently a big tarmac barrier to the waterfront."

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully, who has been pressing Auckland leaders to adopt a grander vision for Queens Wharf than the much-maligned design contest dumped in November, has not ruled out the Johnson plan.

However, it is not thought to have much support by ministers and officials because it is just a high-level concept. The rugby cup is only 20 months away.

Mr McCully yesterday fell into line behind Prime Minister John Key, who said on Wednesday that he had no qualms about just sprucing up Queens Wharf for the cup if a new design compromised the Crown's long-term objectives for the waterfront.

Mr McCully said that, like Mr Key, he wanted options for Queens Wharf in place for people to make decisions and would try to go with what Aucklanders saw as the right one.

"We shouldn't bite off more than we can chew for the Rugby World Cup. I think it would be the wrong choice to do anything that is going to compromise the long-term development plan."

Manukau Mayor and Super City mayoral candidate Len Brown said the Government needed to engage with all the region's councils and communities on plans.

"These decisions will affect all of Auckland's ratepayers. However, communities outside of Auckland City feel like they have had no say in what is being decided, even though they'll be asked to pay for whatever is proposed."

Mr Brown agrees with his Super City mayoral opponent, Auckland City Mayor John Banks, that a decision on Queens Wharf should not be rushed before the Super Auckland Council is established on November 1 and a masterplan can be developed for the waterfront.