Room for all in Fort St revamp

Auckland City Council is planning a $23 million upgrade of Fort St which will turn the street into a shared space where vehicles and pedestrians will share the road.

Details revealed yesterday show Fort St 's history as part of Auckland's former foreshore will be incorporated with markers to show where the sea was before reclamation began in 1859.

Artworks and trees will be added to the area, as well as lighting features to make it safer for pedestrians at night.

Stone paving will be laid over the street, kerbs and private vehicle parking removed and vehicle loading times will be limited.

The council said shared spaces combined the functions of a street so there would be more space for pedestrians, creating an attractive space for people to spend time without the need to ban vehicles.

"The area has so much potential and could be a real destination, a place where people want to spend time," said Councillor Greg Moyle, chairman of the arts, culture and recreation committee.

"The Fort St area upgrade will change the way we use the streets and provide opportunities and space for a variety of other street activities, such as events.

"The proposed changes will also be positive for businesses in the area by attracting more people and opening up the space for things such as outdoor dining."

The Fort St transformation is part of Auckland City Council's $965 million 10-year CBD streetscape and open spaces upgrade programme, which began in 2004 and is funded by the CBD-targeted rate.

Part of this includes an upgrade budget of $162.5 million, of which $81.5 million is from the CBD-targeted rate.

Other areas earmarked to become shared spaces are: Elliott St-Darby St, Jean Batten Place, Lorne St-Rutland St (in front of the city library) and O'Connell St.

Renee Boyle, general manager of Nomads backpackers on Fort St, said noise from the upgrade could be disruptive initially but once finished, the upgrade would be great for business.

"It's fantastic," she said. "It will be great for tourism. It will be great for us in the future because of all the foot traffic."

The council is seeking your views on its Fort St proposals and invites anyone interested to visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/cbd or go to the information kiosk that will be on Fort St at times listed on the website.