Public has no automatic say in SkyCity street plans

SkyCity plans to expand its convention centre over Federal St. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland ratepayers will not automatically get a say in SkyCity plans to expand its convention centre over Federal St.

The casino company wants to build over a quarter of the block and in exchange has offered a $10 million upgrade of the tatty block at street level.

It has proposed wrapping the overbuilding in an artwork.

Chief executive Nigel Morrison said the company was aiming to achieve something that was visually attractive, overwhelmingly positive for the city and would help make SkyCity more of an attractive international destination.

The overbuilding would expand the largest conference room from 1500 to 2000 seated guests and 1200 to 1600 guests for dining.

It is hoped to have the project completed in time for next year's Rugby World Cup.

Auckland City's city development committee has endorsed the project through to the detailed design phase, but the council's urban design panel and advisory panel for public art are fundamentally opposed.

Mr Morrison said it was up to the council to decide whether the project was publicly notified, saying "other international cities have these things all over the place".

Council planning general manager John Duthie said because the council had a vested interest in Federal St being upgraded the matter of public notification would be made by independent commissioners.

There were clearly affected parties and if they did not give consent it would definitely be notified. He would not comment on who the affected parties were before seeing the resource consent application.

Mr Duthie said the SkyCity plan would be the biggest airspace licence in central Auckland.

"This is a very significant project. It needs careful scrutiny."

Most of the urban design panel believed that regardless of the external treatment of the overbuilding, it would have a significant negative impact on the public realm of Federal St and could create a tunnel effect with adverse effects on sunlight and air quality.

The advisory panel said the aerial banqueting hall straddling the street would obliterate open sky space, block views of St Patrick's Cathedral and "effectively privatise public space and set a very uncomfortable precedent in the city".

The council's urban design champion, Ludo Campbell-Reid, said he was generally not keen on pedestrian overbridges because they took pedestrian movement away from the street.

"But this scheme is different because it is not a pedestrian overbridge and has the real opportunity to repair the street and in fact enhance the quality and public enjoyment of the street. I believe the proposal merits further conversation."

Mr Morrison said SkyCity planned to turn Federal St, between Victoria and Wellesley Sts, into a shared space where pedestrians will be free to roam as long as they do not unduly hold up motorists. This could involve removing an entrance to the SkyCity underground carpark at the Wellesley St end and reversing the one-way traffic flow.

UP IN THE AIR

* Plan is to expand SkyCity convention centre over Federal St.
* The biggest privatisation of airspace in Central Auckland.
* Auckland City's city development committee has endorsed the project.
* The urban design panel and advisory panel for public art are fundamentally opposed.
* Independent commissioners will decide if the public can have a say.