Auckland mayor Phil Goff leaves struggling Albert St business owners angry at lack of compensation plan
Wednesday, 28 July 2021
Businesses affected by construction of the City Rail Link are disappointed and angry after a meeting with Auckland mayor Phil Goff.
Shobhana Ranchhodji, the owner of Roma Blooms on Albert St said after the meeting she was left feeling like “banging her head against a wall”.
“I would say that Mr Goff snuck away from his responsibilities,” Ranchhodji said.
Businesses in the Albert St area have spent more than a year living with construction noise, dust, sewer smells and shabby passageways to their stores as the Government pushes ahead with the upgrade of the City Rail Link.
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Ranchhodji said many of the businesses that met with Goff were disappointed after he offered sympathy, but no solution to the problem.
“He talked about mitigating and minimising, but that is not a solution. For them to say ‘we are sorry, we feel you’, that is not a solution. I am so angry, I feel like we are mentally being drained,” Ranchhodji said.
Viv Beck, chief executive of Heart of the City, said it was appalling there had still been no progress on the issue.
“It is just not acceptable, people’s lives and their livelihoods are at stake here. I think someone needs to step up and show leadership,” Beck said.
Goff and City Rail Link chief executive Sean Sweeney expressed support for a targeted hardship package for businesses affected by the construction, but offered nothing concrete, Beck said.
“Unfortunately what we didn’t get from the meeting was the sense that anything was going to happen quickly. That is the major issue,” Beck said.
During the meeting Goff said responsibility for a solution was shared with the transport minister and the finance minister, which Beck and the other businesses owners found frustrating.
“I think it is inexcusable that this has taken so long. They have had multiple proposals and nothing is happening. That is the tragedy here. Something has to happen quickly otherwise more businesses will close,” Beck said.
In a statement to Stuff, Goff said the government and council needed to provide support to the affected businesses.
“This should include the provision of a targeted fund to support businesses in severe financial hardship as a result of major government infrastructure construction,” Goff said.
Goff said he had spoken to Transport Minister Michael Wood to support a hardship fund for the businesses and believes Wood was sympathetic to the idea.
He said he would keep working with Wood and the Government to secure a support package for the businesses.