Queen St revamp cost jumps to $34m

The $34 million upgrade aims to make Queen St a top shopping and entertainment precinct again. Picture / Kenny Rodger

The cost of upgrading Queen St has jumped by nearly 50 per cent in nine months, but it's claimed the money will never return the Golden Mile to its glory days.

Auckland City staff are blaming rising construction costs and items such as new canopies for the rise in costs from $23 million to $34 million.

The project has been on ice for four months while the council faced public anger with other central city upgrades at Vulcan Lane, Khartoum Place and Swanson St.

Rising costs have led the council to put the final stage from Mayoral Drive to Karangahape Rd on hold. About $4 million originally set aside for this stage, including $1.2 million for new landscaping and artworks at the Myers Park entrance, has gone into a $30 million budget for work further down Queen St.

CBD project leader Jo Wiggins said the final, $4 million stage to Karangahape Rd would proceed and was hopeful of securing the funds during the 2006-2007 financial year.

The long-awaited project will start on January 4 with the aim of re-establishing Queen St as the country's top shopping, entertainment and business destination.

Newmarket Business Association general manager Cameron Brewer was pleased Queen St was getting a much-needed upgrade but said its glory days had gone.

"The CBD will always be Auckland's number one commercial area but it will never recapture the shoppers who fled the nest some years ago. Despite all the new trees, canopies and artworks, it's never going to be trendy or have any real spirit."

When the council embarked on restoring Queen St's allure nearly three years ago, research showed people found it had "no character" and was "cheap and nasty". They complained about traffic jams, lack of parking and unreliable public transport. People liked Vulcan Lane, High St and Karangahape Rd.

Mayor Dick Hubbard said Queen St was "tired and tatty" but the council was giving it the treatment it deserved as the nation's premier main street.

"I believe the vast majority of people will like it and see a vast improvement to what it is now," Mr Hubbard said.

Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney said the upgrade was long overdue and would make Auckland City a "world champion South Pacific City".

The $34 million project is the centrepiece of a $100 million, 10-year programme to upgrade the central city.

Budget blow-out

* March 2005: $23m to complete Queen St upgrade from Customs St to Karangahape Rd.
* December 2005: $30m to upgrade from Customs St to Mayoral Drive.
* 2006/07 financial year: $4 million needed to upgrade from Mayoral Drive to Karangahape Rd.
* Total cost: $34 million