Proposal for new Northcote Point ferry wharf rejected

Tuesday, 13 November 2018

The future of the closed Northcote Point Wharf was decided by Auckland Transport on November 13.

Pleas for an upgraded ferry wharf, to improve the reliability of Auckland's most cancelled public transport service, have been rejected by Auckland Transport.

The Northcote Point wharf was closed on June 20 when routine maintenance inspections found wooden structural pieces of the wharf had deteriorated.

Auckland Transport (AT) deliberated whether to approve a new all-weather wharf, to invest in a $1 million 'renewal' or to close the wharf permanently.

On November 13, the AT board decided on the renewal option to extend the life of the 60-year-old structure. Renewal work was expected to take 12 months.

**READ MORE:

Northcote Point Wharf is closed for at least another 12 months.

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Northcote Point Wharf was closed from June 20, 2018 due to deterioration.

* Northcote Point wharf closure creates gap in Auckland's multimillion-dollar transport plans

* Unreliable Northcote Point ferry wharf needs upgrade, councillor says

* Northcote Point ferry the most cancelled public transport service in Auckland**

However, AT acknowledged the work would not improve the reliability of ferry services from the wharf.

Prior to this year's continuing closure, the wharf had a troubled history of frequent cancellations to the ferry service, which took passengers across the harbour to the Downtown Ferry Terminal.

The wharf, at the end of Queen St, which is close to Auckland's Harbour Bridge, was vulnerable to the weather.

'There will still be some ferry cancellations as the structure is in a very exposed position and can be adversely affected by wind and tide conditions,' AT's James Ireland said.

The all-weather proposal was estimated to cost around $11 million. An entirely new structure at a new location in Northcote would cost up to $20 million, according to AT.

North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills had been advocating for an all-weather upgrade for eight years and said despite the latest decision, he would not be deterred.

He encouraged people to submit in support of an all-weather facility to the draft Regional Public Transport Plan, which will be consulted on in the coming weeks.

Daily patronage for the Northcote ferry averaged about 155 trips a day, or about 80 regular users, according to AT.

'If services aren't reliable people don't use them, and if people don't use them, it's difficult for Auckland Transport to build a justifiable business case for an investment of around $20 million,' Hills said.

'However, there is a suggestion that even an all-weather wharf in the same position could have similar reliability issues.'

Following the decision, Hills said he was interested to see how AT would improve the reliability of the current wharf.

Hills and Kaipātiki Local Board chairman John Gillon were both strongly against closing the wharf permanently.

Both said the community missed not having the ferry service and believed people would get back on board when the wharf re-opened.

The Kaipātiki Local Board, in July, committed $2 million from the board's transport capital fund to a fix for the wharf.

In October, Gillon said: 'If it is only reinstated to what we already had, then it will continue to be the most unreliable and closed public transport facility in Auckland. An upgrade is essential, even if it means a longer construction period.'

Following the November 13 AT decision, Gillon said it was 'disappointing' that an all-weather facility was not considered but he was pleased to retain the wharf, as it aligns with future transport projects including SkyPath and SeaPath.

'We need the ferry there as part of the whole package,' Gillon said.

Gillon said future funding support from NZ Transport Agency, when SkyPath and SeaPath were underway, could see an all-weather wharf built in the future.

Northcote MP Dan Bidois was another of the voices backing the all-weather wharf proposal.

Bidois started a petition to lobby for his preferred option, which had attracted nearly 800 signatures.

'While our petition called for a full upgrade to include an all-weather wharf, I know the local community will be happy to see that AT have committed to getting the wharf back up and running as soon as possible,' Bidois said.

'This decision is a win for the Northcote community.'