Golden Mile contracts close to being signed

Friday, 20 October 2023

An artist’s impression of the revamped Courtenay Place under the Golden Mile plan. (File photo)

After saying contracts would be “well signed” before the new Government could cancel funding, Mayor Tory Whanau will no longer confirm when the Golden Mile transformation will be locked in.

At midday on Thursday The Spinoff reported Whanau saying the contracts were “literally days away” from being signed and National’s likely transport minister Simeon Brown would not be able to cancel it.

Later in the afternoon Whanau would not comment on the timing of the contract to The Post, with a representative from her office saying they would “leave it to LGWM”.

National has vowed to scrap Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM), but once the Golden Mile contracts are signed the $71m of already approved Waka Kotahi funding would be locked in.

Earlier in the year National’s Chris Bishop described LGWM as a “toxic mess of a programme”.

Whanau’s official comment was that the project had been approved in a democratic process and “it would be irresponsible to stop it now”.

The Wellington City Council will provide the remaining $68m of funding and is the lead on the project, because the changes affect inner-city streets under the council’s control.

Earlier in the year a majority of city councillors voted to approve funding for the project and move ahead with the plan.

The vote was opposed by six of the 16 city councillors, who said the transport project needed a “game changer”.

The Golden Mile plan would remove private cars from the streets from Lambton Quay through to Courtenay Place during the day by implementing a permit system. It would also create wider footpaths with a cycleway, new pavers, street furniture and trees.

“It will usher in a new era for Wellington where the central city becomes a place focused on people which will be good for communities and businesses,” Whanau said.

The permit system would allow disabled people, taxis, loading vehicles and trade vehicles access to the Golden Mile when needed.

LGWM programme director Sarah Gardner said the main contract was “close to being finalised”.

The project was given the go ahead by the council earlier in the year, and construction contracts were a step that followed from the earlier decision, Gardner said.

Early works have already started on the project despite a legal threat against the city council from a former lawyer and affected businesses.

Barry Wilson, the leader of the Guardians of the Golden Mile group which threatened to take the council to court over the project, said he was outraged the contracts for the project would be signed. He claimed the council had “no mandate whatsoever” because of the change of government.

The judicial review had not been filed yet and the incorporated society does not exist yet. Wilson said the group was almost ready to incorporate.

The Golden Mile project has been slammed by retailers since its inception, but a majority backed the plan to remove cars. The concerns from retailers had been the removal of car parks, which they said would make it harder for customers to access their shops.