Public face fee to enjoy cup fiesta

By MARTIN JOHNSTON and NICK PERRY

America's Cup organisers plan to charge for access to the Viaduct Basin, the regatta base largely developed with public money.

A gate fee of between $1 and $20 will be charged for at least 10 events expected to attract spectators.

The publicly owned developers of the cup village have done a deal with the Auckland City Council that will see the main public square, Waitemata Plaza, closed for up to 30 days -- including the opening ceremony.

Events held on the village island, the closest vantage point for watching the yachts enter and leave, will also command a fee.

Spectators are likely to be deterred from designated "public access" behind the syndicate bases on Halsey St.

And if the crowds get too big and dangerous during exciting stages of racing, the basin will be shut altogether, with gates at entry points.

The police have been discussing the event with the company, which wants to avoid a rerun of one of the Whitbread Round-the-World yacht race stopovers at the Viaduct Basin -- some revellers jumped or were pushed into the water and had to be rescued.

America's Cup Village Ltd, set up by the former Auckland Regional Services Trust, is spending $10 million of Government cash and $70 million of rates money to develop syndicate bases, super-yacht berths and public space for the cup series.

The Auckland City Council is financing the Waitemata Plaza as the premier public area in its $39.5 million upgrade of the area.

The company chief executive, Rob Sutherland, said it intended to close the plaza and charge entry fees for up to 10 events, including the opening ceremony and concerts.

Mr Sutherland would not specify the charge but said it would be between $1 and $20 and "would be structured to appeal to the average citizen."

Although Halsey St had public access, cars would not be allowed in. The village would "educate" people on the better views from the other side of the basin.

But one village insider said some of the security-conscious syndicates would be worried about having the public so close behind their bases.

A council spokeswoman, Ann Townsley, said the council had reached agreement in principle with the company some time ago on the plan to close Waitemata Plaza temporarily.

The council had set a precedent in permitting the closure of public areas for a fee-paying event with the Womad festival at Western Springs last year.