Auckland's Queen Street re-design talks collapse as revamp battle takes to court and billboards

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

More than two dozen shops are empty on Auckland's Queen Street as the economic effect of Covid-19 begins to bite. (April 2020)

Three days of talks over the re-design of Auckland's Queen Street ended in a stalemate with the council and a group of disgruntled businesses to now meet at the High Court on Wednesday morning.

The group of businesses and landlords under the banner Save Queen are seeking an injunction to halt work due to start next Monday, on trialling a more pedestrian-friendly, lower-traffic plan on a section of the main downtown shopping strip.

The business group thought they might reach agreement in all-day talks with up to a dozen Auckland Council officials on Tuesday, but the council said “common ground could not be reached without compromising the outcome for Queen Street.”

“God and the judge and the court permitting, the work will start on time (on Monday),” the mayor Phil Goff told Stuff.

* Queen Street standoff softens after talks between council and businesses

* Auckland's Queen St upgrade prompts businesses to ask court to halt council plan**

Save Queen believes the council’s approach to restricting traffic and extending space for pedestrians with temporary measures over the past year, has contributed to the exodus of small businesses.

An artist impression of the lower end of Auckland's Queen Street which will be upgraded later in 2021

They insist the council must strip away the temporary changes brought in during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, before developing new plans for the city’s “golden mile.”

The council intends to continue with a $1.1 million trial of a temporary new streetscape between Shortland and Customs Streets, with wider footpaths, and just a single lane of traffic each way.

“The dispute that has arisen is how Auckland Council will achieve a quality outcome,” said Save Queen in a statement after talks ended.

“Queen Street is being used as a laboratory for an undefined period causing chaotic traffic, the failure of local businesses, disastrous access for taxis, ride-share and deliveries, and ugly aesthetics that increase the lack of desirability for visitors to the area,” it said.

The group is preparing billboards for downtown sites on Wednesday morning to push their view of how Queen Street should evolve.

The council is continuing public consultation on its plan until the weekend, and Goff told Stuff that Save Queen would not have a disproportionate say on the project.

Many smaller shops that depended on high foot traffic, have closed on Auckland’s Queen Street.

“We are very conscious that this is just one group, and this is not a bi-lateral discussion simply between Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, with that one group,” said Goff.

“There are many other groups that are stakeholders in this city, and they equally have the right to expect that the City Centre Master Plan is upheld, because we had 76 per cent of the submissions in favour.”

Goff said the next stage of the trial would remove “the very short term measures that aren’t aesthetically appealing” such as plastic sticks and white concrete blocks to block off lanes.

Queen Street has been hit hard by Covid-19 with a triple whammy of absent foreign tourists, the loss of thousands of overseas students, and a significant number of office workers partly working from home.

Auckland Council wants to make it more attractive by moving on with its “Access for Everyone” plans that have been endorsed by councillors, to make it less of a traffic thoroughfare and more for pedestrians.

“Save Queen agree on the long-term vision for increased pedestrianisation in Queen Street and making it a great place for people,” said the business group.

“However we are deeply troubled by the way in which Auckland Council is ignoring the views and needs of many stakeholders and the public at large,” it said.

Save Queen’s bid for an injunction will be heard in the High Court in Auckland from 10am Wednesday.