Proposed future of Civic Square a bridge too far
Thursday, 7 November 2024
Betrayal, misinformation, lies. No, not a US political rally, but some of the adjectives thrown about before what began as a very subdued meeting about the re-development of Wellington’s Civic Square.
About 200 people attended the event, many ready to give the council what for.
It may have been the speakers, who spent an hour going over the proposal, or it may have been the fact most of the audience had come straight from work and had missed out on the free nibbles, but heckling was initially absent.
Until Stuart Niven, a fierce opponent of plans to demolish the city to sea bridge leapt up and asked when the panel would take questions, which was he was there.
Whoa. Others joined in, noting a level of distrust in the advice and information provided by the council.
“Good on Stuart,” said one woman. “We know about what’s happening, we didn’t want speeches, we wanted them to answer our questions,”
MC Anna Calver, the council’s engagement officer, managed to de-escalate the situation, for a time, with pleas for a bit of respect.
Other question raised were around the costs involved, about how green space and commercial buildings could coalesce, and how, legally, a decision could be made to demolish a city asset (the bridge) without going through a proper consultation process, and about the potential loss of the square as a cultural and arts hub.
The plan is part of the redevelopment of the entire Te Ngākau Civic Square. Work has already begun on seismic strengthening of the Central Library and Town Hall and the demolition of the Civic Administration and Municipal Office buildings.
It includes options for the City to Sea Bridge, Michael Fowler Centre, Jack Ilott Green, City Gallery, and the landscaping of the square itself and adjoining areas. Consultation closes on November 13.
Opposition to it has come from various quarters, with students up in arms over a proposed new 10-storey building and the subsequent loss of open space, others threatening to chain themselves to the bridge‒the creation of the late Rewi Thompson and architect John Gray‒and a newly launched “Save Jack Illot Green” movement.
Earlier Niven and Gray said the decision to knock down the bridge appeared to have been based on some “seriously questionable” information, including claims the bridge and Capital E building were a single structure.
”They are not,“ Niven said. ”They are separate structures.They were built at entirely different times – two years apart – firstly the ‘building’ that is Capital E and, secondly, the ‘structure’ that is the bridge.
“In other words, each represents an entirely different category of structure and, consequently, are able to be strengthened in very different ways. This has been completely ignored, and the fiction we’ve been given has allowed Council officers to conflate the strengthening costs involved.
“What is not at all clear is where this fiction came from and why it has been allowed to distort and confuse the decision to demolish the building and the bridge.”
He said while Te Ngākau meant “the heart”, the plan stripped away any sense of an urban heart. “Our city square has completely disappeared from the concept plan, and instead we have a wide and unmemorable pathway from Mercer Street across the precinct to the edge of a four- lane road‒one of the busiest in the country.
“One could be forgiven for feeling very betrayed.”
Gray’s daughter Ruby is also among those urging the council to drop its demolition plans. She was at the meeting with her dad.
She said the bridge and the precinct’s other iconic artwork, including heritage tiling due to be ripped up next month, were taonga and part of an overall bi-cultural narrative that underpinned the Civic Square site.
Despite that, key heritage experts had not been involved in the decision-making, leading to misinformation and “distorted facts”.
“It feels like a fait accompli. We need informed public consultation about what could and should be. I don't believe council has the evidence, the money, or the blessing of the public to do this. They are making decisions without us.”
The council says the plan was developed following feedback from numerous stakeholders – including mana whenua representatives, sustainability, architectural and engineering experts, resident groups and events and arts organisations. It was created by Pōneke Collective, led by Warren and Mahoney in collaboration with design company Tihei, Place Collective (an Auckland urban regeneration company) Ripple Resilience and council officers.
However Farzad Zamani, the project’s manager, who was one of the four speakers at Wednesday’s meeting, told the audience none of the plans were final. “They are conceptual, and in draft.”
A bill extending time frames to strengthen earthquake-prone buildings passed its second reading on Tuesday.
The Plan
Civic Administration Building (CAB) demolition: The main demolition work is under way and will be completed in December. The CAB demolition will be fully complete by February 2025.
Municipal Office Building (MOB) demolition: MOB will be demolished after CAB, to make way for the redevelopment on the CAB and MOB sites. The MOB demolition will be complete by the end of 2025.
CAB and MOB site redevelopment: Precinct Properties, the team behind Auckland’s Commercial Bay and Wynyard Quarter, and Wellington’s Bowen Campus and Willis Lane mixed-use projects have been selected to redevelop the CAB and MOB site. A 10-storey five-star green building is planned.
City to Sea Bridge: Two options - either demolishing the City to Sea Bridge and constructing a pedestrian crossing (estimated cost of $30 million) or demolishing the bridge and constructing a pedestrian crossing plus a new bridge (estimated cost of $47 million).
Michael Fowler Precinct: Retained and strengthened, or demolished and replace with a new commercial building
Jack Ilott Green: Retained as open space and landscaped, or adding a building to create commercial opportunities.
City Gallery: Retained as is and reopened after current minor strengthening and maintenance work is completed, or adding either a small or large extension to the Harris Street side to create a sheltered laneway with commercial and retail space on the ground floor.