Work on SkyCity convention centre likely to start before year end

Artist impression of the Sky City National Convention Centre and the Albion Hotel on the corner of Hobson st and Wellesley St. Photo / Supplied

Work on the controversial SkyCity convention centre could start before the end of the year.

Three independent commissioners have decided the project will proceed on a non-notified basis, despite Auckland Council recommending it should be notified. David Hill, Rebecca Skidmore and Kitt Littlejohn will now decide whether to approve resource consents in the next few months.

SkyCity chief executive Nigel Morrison yesterday welcomed the prospect of obtaining consents. Construction on the 1.4ha project could begin by the end of the year.

"We're pleased that momentum is continuing to build on the international convention centre project, bringing jobs, growth and much-needed economic investment in downtown Auckland," he said.

Resource management lawyer Russell Bartlett was also pleased at the decision not to notify the project, saying it was reassuring something could be done in Auckland without being held up.

But the Green Party, a longtime critic of the pokies for convention centre deal between SkyCity and the Government, said it was extremely disappointing the public would not get a say.

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said serious questions needed to be asked when the system allowed a major development to go ahead without public input.

Auckland councillor Chris Darby was shocked at the decision, saying the application required 40 consents and overall was a non-complying application.

"How it fails to be subject to public testing is beyond me."

The application by SkyCity is to establish a convention centre on land between Hobson and Nelson Sts, including an underground carpark with 1415 spaces, a 300-bed hotel, a pedestrian airbridge over Hobson St and upgrading the streetscapes on Hobson and Nelson Sts.

In May, SkyCity revealed a smaller convention centre than originally planned, saying it might end up spending $450 million-$470 million after earlier saying it might need public money to build a centre for $530 million.

In their decision, the commissioners noted the recent ruling by Justice Geoffrey Venning in the controversial case of two wharf extensions at Ports of Auckland where the judge said "special circumstances" existed which required public notification.

The commissioners said they did not consider there were any special circumstances with the convention centre application.

Their decision is at odds with a recommendation from the council's lead senior resource consent planner Jennifer Valentine.

In a report to the commissioners, Ms Valentine gave 16 reasons why the adverse effects on the environment will or are likely to be more than minor, and why the public should have a say. Her reasons included construction effects, increased traffic, excess parking, substantial demolition of the historic scheduled Berlei Factory and the bulk and visual qualities of the convention centre.