Hotel and carpark proposed for Ports land

Ports of Auckland is drawing up plans for a carpark to store the thousands of cars that come across the wharves every week - with a hotel on top.

The site of the carpark and hotel building is proposed to be Bledisloe Wharf, near Quay Street. Views from the development would be across to Devonport, the outer harbour and Hauraki Gulf.

The ports company has been shopping the idea around some Auckland councillors ahead of a closed council workshop on August 7 to discuss port and waterfront issues, and possibly the America's Cup defence in the city.

Mayor Phil Goff confirmed today he was aware of plans for a carpark and hotel on port land, but was not prepared to comment until it had been discussed by councillors.

"As I understand it no decisions have been made yet. This is an idea that is being put out by the port. It's an interesting concept, but it has yet to go to council and be formally discussed," he said.

Goff said whatever happens on the waterfront it needs to fit in with the long-term plans of Auckland with the ports land coming back into public ownership.

During last year's local body elections, Goff said cars should be moved off the port within 10 years and opposed a carparking building that could consolidate the port's downtown location.

Planning committee chairman Chris Darby said the plans were very cursory and there was nothing concrete about them.

The port company has talked about a multi-storey carparking building to store imported vehicles for many years. Last year, the port company handled 248,065 cars.

A Ports of Auckland spokesman said after the completion of the Port Future Study - "and in response to the mayor's request that we investigate how the impacts of cars on the wharves can be reduced or eliminated" - it had been working on a number of ideas for how better to manage the handling of cars through the port.

One was the proposed development on Bledisloe Wharf.

"In our planning we have adopted the principle that any new port building should look good, be green, have public access and be able to be repurposed should the port one day be moved," the spokesman said.

"Based on those principles we have developed some ideas for a striking new car park building which are planning to share with all Aucklanders later this year."