Emotion wins out for Vulcan Lane's red pavers

The fashionable pedestrian strip of Vulcan Lane will get to keep its red pebble pavers after Auckland City councillors yesterday rejected a last-ditch attempt by staff to rip them up and replace them with replicas.

Fashion leaders were thrilled with the decision to preserve the lane with as many of the 2160 red pebble pavers as practical after a year-long fight with staff opposed to the status quo every step of the way.

Andrew Bishop, of fashion store Feline, said the people of Auckland saved a cherished part of the city with its slightly down-at-heel 1960s feel.

The pavers were laid when Vulcan Lane was converted from a road into a pedestrian mall in 1968.

Mr Bishop said staff had stuck by the mantra of replacing the old pavers to create a high-class inner-city asset.

"The lane is already a high-class asset. It just needs to get its hair cut," Mr Bishop said.

Documents obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act show staff earlier dabbled with the idea of keeping the pebble pavers "to demonstrate to retailers that we have listened to their concerns" but decided they should "only present the options that are viable and that we want to do".

Under the new proposal, passed 7-3 by the urban strategy and governance committee, the pavers will be lifted up next year for drainage repairs and a new base surface. The pavers that are not damaged will be replaced, and replica pavers will be interspersed throughout. New lighting and street furniture will be part of the restoration. The cost is expected to be about the same as the $1.2 million for a modern makeover.

Chris Snell, of Vulcan Lane fashion store Workshop, said the restoration would leave what is good, appreciated and enjoyed.

During a sometimes tense meeting - attended by four council PR members - staff, led by chief executive David Rankin and planning general manager John Duthie, pushed councillors to go down the path of replica pavers.

After admitting to the Herald last week that they had done no strength testing on the reinforced concrete pavers, council officer Eric van Essen yesterday advised councillors the pavers had an optimum life of 50 years but factors to do with the steel reinforcing reduced that to 30 to 40 years.

A council spokeswoman later said there was no written report to go with that advice. It was based on a verbal report Mr Essen received yesterday from a consultant engineer who ran some calculations using a New Zealand standard for concrete.

During a presentation to the committee, Mr Bishop quoted a written report by Cement and Concrete Association project manager Chris Munn saying concrete was a durable product and the pavers could last another 40 years on present loads with treatment to prevent deterioration.

After much toing and froing on issues to do with the life of the pavers, slipperiness, on-going maintenance and an attempt to put off a decision to seek more information, councillor Faye Storer said the issue boiled down to preserving, restoring and repairing the pavers or going for a lookalike.

Crs John Hinchcliff, Cathy Casey, Christine Caughey, Glenda Fryer, Richard Northey, Richard Simpson and Faye Storer voted for restoration. Crs Doug Armstrong, Scott Milne and Vern Walsh voted against. Cr Penny Sefuiva left the meeting before the vote was taken.

Mr Rankin defended the action of his staff throughout the Vulcan Lane controversy, saying they did not pick up the strength of feeling towards the earlier proposal for bluestone pavers but had since clearly put the views of people to councillors.