Northcote Residents' Association abandons SkyPath appeal

Thursday, 25 August 2016

Auckland Harbour Bridge looking to Northcote Point where SkyPath is planned to exit.

The second-to-last residents group holding up construction of the $33.5 million SkyPath bridge has withdrawn its appeal in the Environment Court.

The planned SkyPath would be a tube-like structure suspended beneath Auckland Harbour Bridge for use by for pedestrians and cyclists, with an entrance and exit point at Northcote Point.

An updated design of one of a viewing deck on the proposed pedestrian and cycleway SkyPath.

On Wednesday, August 24, the Northcote Residents' Association withdrew its appeal against Auckland Council's resource consent for the SkyPath.

Begun in July 2015, the ongoing Environment Court case has cost Auckland Council $55,000 in legal fees.

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Massey University senior lecturer in engineering Dr Naseem Ameer Ali says, based on the SkyPath patronage estimates provided in an independent study by Angus & Associates, the cost of the ongoing construction delays would be more than $1 million.

'Based on the estimated commuter numbers and charges that the project owner expects to charge, any construction contract between the project owner and the contractor building this project is likely to include a liquidated damages provision of over $3000 per day,' Ameer Ali says.

'That translates to over a million dollars over a year, although it is likely the contractor would have been terminated well before a one-year delay.'

Picking up those estimated liquidated damages would be a public-private partnership (PPP) of private company SkyPath and Auckland Council, which agreed to underwrite the project to an agreed level on July 20.

Originally there were six residents' groups opposing SkyPath.

Albany councillor Wayne Walker says he expected this dwindling opposition.

'I'm not surprised that Northcote [Residents Association] has pulled out, because, from everything I've seen, the case for SkyPath is a strong one,' Walker says

'There's been a huge uptake of cycling across Auckland, including electric bikes and it's my feeling that electric bicycles will revolutionise transport in the city.'

North Shore councillor Chris Darby says the cost of the appeal has been one of lifestyle as much as money.

'The real cost is the escalation in construction costs due to the year-long delay and loss of opportunity for Aucklanders to walk and cycle the bridge in that time,' Darby says.

'The applicant would have incurred significant expense.

'It's the cost of democracy.'

One other residents' group is still appealing the SkyPath resource consent: the Northcote Point Heritage Preservation Society (NPHPS).

However, the NPHPS do not object to the SkyPath project outright but rather have requirements for its operation including: limitations on user numbers, a suitable parking scheme and their own recommended operating hours.

The Northcote Residents Association was contacted for comment for this article.