Wharf development up in the air

John Banks (left) and Mike Lee will not compromise Queens Wharf's potential with a rushed design. Photo / Martin Sykes

The future of the Queens Wharf development is up in the air after political leaders yesterday called a halt to the much-maligned design contest.

The options are a new design with the "wow factor" or sprucing up the wharf for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and leaving creation of a permanent landmark structure for later.

A loss of public confidence in the contest to turn Queens Wharf into a combined cruise ship terminal and "party central" venue for the cup prompted Auckland City mayor John Banks, Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee and Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully to go back to the drawing board.

Last week, Mr Lee denounced the final eight designs as "lacklustre, underwhelming and mediocre". Others criticised the "stingy" budget, project brief and tight timeframe.

Speaking in front of the red gates at Queens Wharf yesterday, Mr Banks and Mr Lee said they had listened to the people and were not prepared to compromise the magnificence of the waterfront.

It was time, Mr Banks said, to "taihoa, step back, have a cup of tea and progress again".

The design contest was launched, with a tight timeframe, on August 24. A total of 237 concept designs and 25 team expressions of interest were whittled down to eight finalists on October 26, and a winner was to have been picked this month.

A political source said there was a sense of inevitability about the design contest and the leaders had bought some time to work out where to go next.

The options were more money for a design that met public aspirations or tarting up the wharf and the two 1912 cargo sheds without compromising the site's long-term future.

Mr Banks said: "If we can get a consensus from the people and something sound, sensible and reasonable within the constraints of a global recession that represents affordable progress and a wow factor, we will do it."

Mr Lee said "party central" would still take place on the wharf and he had not given up the idea of having a cruise ship terminal built in time for the cup.

Mr McCully said the Government strongly supported backing off from the design contest, saying it would not countenance any short-term decisions that compromised the long-term development of the Auckland waterfront.

"My own view is that both the result and the process [of the contest] have had that effect," Mr McCully said.

In June, Prime Minister John Key declared Queens Wharf the venue for "party central" and challenged Auckland city leaders to make it happen as part of a wider waterfront development.

The wharf could come under the control of a waterfront development agency the Government is setting up as part of the Auckland Super City.

At the moment the waterfront is being developed ad hoc under myriad different governance structures, including the first plans for the Tank Farm to create an entertainment precinct and waterfront promenade in time for the cup festivities.

Committee for Auckland chairman Sir Ron Carter said it was healthy that political leaders were listening to various views. What was needed now was an implementation strategy.

Sir Ron, a leading engineer, said a long-term solution should not be rushed and providing something for the cup was not a huge job.

The wharf needed new surfaces, lighting systems and places where people could view big screens.