Heart of City calls for Auckland's City Rail Link hit businesses to be given a 'fair go'

Thursday, 1 August 2024

City Rail Link work continues to impact local businesses.

Central Auckland businesses are continuing to struggle as major infrastructure projects take place.

Viv Beck from Heart of the City has asked for more support for them until the City Rail Link opens.

The City Rail Link will open at some point in 2026.

Heart of the City’s Viv Beck made an impassioned plea for lessons to be learnt from the years of chaos due to infrastructure work that’s taken place in central Auckland.

Beck raised the plight of local businesses at a Council Governing Body meeting on Thursday as she reminded councillors that although the City Rail Link (CRL) will be transformative when it opens in 2026, there’s been an incredible amount of pain so far and there’s more to come.

“We're asking Council to rethink your approach to give these people a fair go,” Beck said.

Construction of the City Rail Link has been happening underneath Albert Street.

“It's one thing to have a city centre masterplan that is an aspirational investment and we have seen benefits already coming from that.

“But it's another thing to make sure what it's delivering meets the needs of the various users and projects costing billions of dollars should be evaluated before more are started.”

Heart of the City is Auckland central’s business association.

Beck, said while Auckland Transport has been raking in millions from fines handed out to motorists in the city centre, local shops and businesses continue to struggle.

“We were told AT has raised $12 million of revenue in 16 months,” she said.

“However, I also know that sales in the Wellesley Street to Mayoral Drive section dropped 55% overall from 2019 to the end of 2023, that’s a drop of $17 million in 2023.

Viv Beck hopes lessons are learnt from the years of disruptions caused by the building of the City Rail Link.

“So not only have we got that happening, we’ve got 18 months ahead of the Wellesley Street Bus works. Water Care, which I understand is essential, but has been delayed again, it’s starting later this year and we’ve got 15 months in that area.

“To top it off, we’ve got Waste Water Works beginning in early 2026 and scheduled for completion in early 2027.

“So I’m painting a picture that for people trying to trade in these areas, it's extremely difficult. That's a lot of work for people to have on their doorsteps.”

Beck says these businesses need to be given further support and it was unhelpful to hear of criticism that some were failing anyway.

Roma Blooms florist shop owners Shobhana Ranchhodji and Jugdish Naran have been dealing with disruption outside of their shop for years.

“I have often been told that the businesses are not that successful and I would ask you to really think hard about that,” she said.

“If someone has put their heart and soul into building up a business, and are happy with how it's operating before construction hits their doorstep, I don't think it's up to a person in an office to judge whether that is a successful business.

“I think they need to be given a fair go and what matters is if their ability to trade is being unreasonably interfered with by public works.

“So what I'm asking you (councillors) to do is do everything you can to support businesses facing unreasonable lengths of time for delay.

“I'm asking you to have an attitude of urgency around this.”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown shared the frustrations of those impacted by how long it’s taken to complete projects like the CRL.

“We have a long, perfect record of overestimating the benefits and underestimating the costs and I’m sorry for all those people, because it is making it bloody hard,” Brown said.

“Everyone says it's going to be great in the future, but I don't know if I can live long enough for that, so I have a great deal of sympathy.”

A $12 million hardship fund was set up in 2021 to help businesses negatively impacted by the construction of the CRL

Jugdish Naran from the Roma Blooms florists on Albert Street was at the meeting and councillor Julie Fairey asked if that support had helped. Naran said it had.

“The actual fund, yes, we fought for it, it took us a lot of time to get it and it does help,” he said.

“It would help in the future, that would be a great advantage with us.”

Beck added her support for the fund and how it had helped businesses.

“You can tell this is a really emotional topic for people. We have seen people's lives destroyed,” she said.

“It was unprecedented and as Jugdish said, it (the fund) has been helpful.

“The challenge has been the length and the severity of the disruption.”

Councillor Mike Lee said it was frustrating that there was still no date on when the CRL will open, other than some time in 2026.

“Mr Mayor, CRL need a bit of a kick in the backside and we need to expedite the opening of that service,” he said.

Mayor Brown said he too didn’t know when the CRL would be open to the public.

“I haven't had a complete date, a believable date,” he said.

“There are dates given and dates pass. The contract presented was naive and doesn't have penalties associated with those things.

“It's really annoying. None of us can even get into our (council) building without tramping around bloody cones.

“You (Naran) are unfortunately the symptoms of a deep disease which is affecting all of us.

“I do support the continuation of the funds to compensate businesses.”