Christopher Luxon speaks to the media on National's transport policy
“It’s a shocker,” said National’s transport spokesman on Auckland Light Rail (ARL) agreeing to buy a big $33 million commercial building just 37 days from the election.
Simeon Brown said he was surprised at the unconditional yet-to-settle purchase of Kingsland’s Kiwi Bacon Building, but ARL chief executive TommyParker said property would be required for a number of purposes including for the new stations and surrounding infrastructure, as well as during construction.
“This purchase shouldn’t have been agreed to when the election is next month,” Brown said.
“The Government has not even delivered a business case for the project and is openly acknowledging that they have not got a preferred route of above or below ground.”
The building at 317 New North Rd, Kingsland that Auckland Light Rail has a conditional agreement to buy. Photo / Whillans
National was firmly opposed to any property purchases by ARL, Brown said.
“It’s not our policy and is costing Aucklanders around $1.2m a week in consultancy fees and this is another slap in the face to taxpayers that this property decision has been made with this timing,” he said.
There would be nothing stopping a future Government from selling properties it didn’t need.
ARL had not been buying properties until the Kiwi Bacon Building, Brown said.
Tommy Parker, Auckland Light Rail’s chief executive.
“ARL has been allocated money in the Budget for property purchase. We’ve been monitoring whether or not they had used that money to make a property purchase. My understanding is they have not. This is the first time they have made a property purchase.”
ARL boss Parker said the Kiwi Bacon site at 317 New North Rd sits on the edge of the Dominion Rd junction area and will be very close to the new station.
The site was offered for sale by tender. ALR Ltd made a tender offer, which was accepted by the vendors.
“As part of planning the route and station locations for the city centre to Māngere corridor, an early property programme has been approved by the light rail board and project sponsors to allow the purchase of strategic properties, if and when they come to market and ahead of a formal property acquisition programme through the Public Works Act,” Parker said today.
“Purchasing the property now reduces future claims for loss of business, as a result of construction impacts and disruption,” Parker said.
That does not mean the public transport entity plans to demolish the building, although Parker did not talk about that.
If it is elected at next month’s general election, National has a $13.5b package for the Super City, including extending State Highway 1 from Warkworth to Wellsford and building rapid transit from Botany to the airport.
Brown said the $2.1b Botany-to-airport link could be used by buses or trackless trams, which are a version of light rail and require heavy foundations. They don’t need rail tracks but rely on other technologies to hold them in place, he said.
Parker has said: “We are building a world-class light rail system - one that will add more strength and resilience to Auckland’s wider transport network, reduce congestion on streets and make the city environmentally cleaner, and be a catalyst for sustainable, well-planned population growth and affordable housing.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has expressed scepticism about light rail. He wants to wait to see what impact the $5.5b City Rail Link will have on the city’s transport network before forging ahead with the new mode.
It was last January that Finance Minister Grant Robertson and then-Transport Minister Michael Wood unveiled the Government’s preferred option for light rail - a hybrid system running in tunnels from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill and then proceeding at street level to the airport.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
