Is this the worst street in Auckland?

Tuesday, 25 June 2024

Businesses in Albert St are suffering under the road construction that has goen on since 2016

Work started on construction of Te Waihorotiu Station as part of the City Rail Link in 2019.
Sections of Albert Street have been in construction zone for years, which has impacted businesses.
City Rail Link says most of the work will be completed by the end of this year.

The end can’t come quickly enough for businesses in Auckland’s Albert Street following years of construction for the City Rail Link.

One of the main streets in Auckland’s CBD has been partially closed for several years while construction takes place below and above ground, including the building of the mid-town Te Waihorotiu Station.

The construction work has made it an unappealing place to visit or work in, a no-go zone for tourists and arguably the most miserable and depressing street in Auckland.

Business owners on Albert St talk about CRL struggles.

Stuff spoke to three businesses on Albert Street and found all of them were struggling to survive and were fed up at how long the construction had taken.

“The summers have been pretty good, but it’s been a short window where businesses come to the level where they’d originally been,” Sid Raina, the general manager of the Shakespeare pub said.

“My tenure here has been for just over a year, but from what I know, the rail works and construction work that’s been happening has really impacted the business negatively.

Jugdish Naran and Shobhana Ranchhodji have found it tough to keep their florist business going while construction has been happening on Albert Street.

“So much so that we’ve been struggling to pay salaries and the business owner has been putting money in from his pocket. There is negative cash flow for most of the year.

“I don’t know how he’s been able to manage that, but I know this has been a really bad phase for businesses overall, not just here.

“The rental costs are really high and with these kinds of sales, and this footfall, it’s not easy for businesses to survive.”

Muoy Khov says customers to her cafe have been put off by the noise and dust on Albert Street.

Raina doesn’t feel Albert Street is an appealing place and people have decided there are other parts of the city where they’d rather go.

“If you’re walking down a street and see a lot of construction work around, in spite of the safety measures in place, I personally wouldn’t want to venture into that area,” he said.

“There is a lot of footfall on the other side of Queen Street, people are going there, but people don’t want to venture to this side of the town.”

Construction of Te Waihorotiu Station began in late 2019. Tunnel construction on Albert Street north of the Wyndham Street intersection began earlier.

Most of the construction work on Albert Street is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Shobhana Ranchhodji, who owns the Roma Blooms Florist on the corner of Albert and Victoria Street West, said she never envisaged this would be so disruptive.

“For the last eight years it’s been your worst nightmare,” Ranchhodji said.

“We had no idea of what to expect and no one giving us [information] of what it would be like to do business in this area.

How Te Waihorotiu Station will look once it's completed.

“We were left on a construction site to do business as usual.”

Ranchhodji said many of her regulars have decided to buy flowers from elsewhere, rather than go to her shop.

“Customers that were once here, because of eight years of construction, they’ve made other choices of where to go for a florist,” she said.

“We’ve held onto a few that do want to come into the area, or have their businesses very close, but apart from that, everyone else has left this area.”

Muoy Khov, who owns the Hollywood Bakery on the corner of Albert Street and Wyndham Street said customers are put off visiting her cafe, because of the noise and grubby environment.

“When it’s too noisy, customers won’t come in and they complain about it being too noisy,” Khov said.

“A few months ago Vector Company were working in front of my shop and blocked Wyndham Street on the corner and it was very noisy.

“My landlord complained and stopped them working during my busy time, so they started around 1-2pm, but it was very bad for those two weeks, with no customers.

“One or two people would come, but they’d complain because it was noisy and dusty.”

Last week, CRL lost an environment court case against the owners of a hotel business on Albert Street, Barclay Management. This resulted in CRL being banned from closing a slip road which provided access to the property.

Patrick Brockie, City Rail Link Ltd’s acting Chief Executive said most of the remaining work on Albert Street would be completed in 2024.

“City Rail Link (CRL) works are progressing rapidly,” Brockie said.

“Some parts of the area have already been returned to the public – business owners, residents and pedestrians.

“CRL’s main contractor, Link Alliance, is working at pace to get the rest completed and the large majority will all be done by the end of this year. Remaining pockets will be completed early next year.

“CRL’s works support the regeneration of Auckland’s midtown and will make it an attractive destination. When CRL is fully operational, this area of Albert Street will be the location of New Zealand’s busiest railway station.

“This month, Link Alliance starts landscaping improvements on the south side of the Albert/Wyndham Street intersection. Further Kingston Street works, on the south side of the street, also start.”

The CRL is expected to be completed and handed over to Auckland Transport in late 2025, but won’t open to the public until at least 2026.