KEY POINTS:
Nikau palms are a no-no for the Aotea Square upgrade because people want to sit in the shade.
Plans for a double row of the tall native palms to give unimpeded views across the square and link with the nikau palms in Queen St have not found favour with the public.
From more than 1000 submissions on the upgrade, the biggest concern was the choice of nikau and the lack of shade they provided.
Auckland City's arts, culture and recreation committee yesterday approved an extra $1.17 million for design improvements in addition to the $25 million budget.
These include moving an exhaust vent from the Aotea carpark, bluestone pavers outside the Auckland Town Hall, making the paving more durable, more and bigger trees and changes to the Aotea Centre skylight.
The extra money is expected to come in savings from the $45 million repair job on the leaky Aotea carpark roof and a $10 million facelift for the centre, but the savings were not spelled out to the committee.
If more savings can be found, the council would like to spend $500,000 on a shade structure and $500,000 on art features.
Committee chairman Greg Moyle said unlike other major developments, the public feedback revealed reasonably strong backing for the revamp.
Budgetary restraints meant all the suggestions could not be picked up but the council would continue to investigate improvements, he said.
These include more artworks, a Town Hall cafe, extending work to outside the Civic building and upgrading the Bledisloe building walkway at the northern end of the square.
One popular suggestion, for a playground, was quashed by Citizens & Ratepayers committee members.
City Vision councillor Cathy Casey lost an amendment to make the square more family- and child-friendly.
Mr Moyle said the square was being planned as an open urban space, not a children's playground.
Dr Casey said C&R were acting in an unfriendly manner towards families. They had also voted against making entry free to the Sir Peter Blake memorial at the Maritime Museum.
Work on the square is to start in November and finish by October 2010.
