Thorndon golden ‘mile’ upgrade turns area into ‘ghost town’

Friday, 10 October 2025

Join the conversation in the comments below.

It promised a better experience for pedestrians, attractive spaces for all, faster bus times, a quality safe cycling route into the city and ultimately a bigger spend by tourists on accommodation, food, and other activities.

But business owners along Wellington’s Thorndon Quay, where tens of millions of dollars of “improvements” have just been completed, say the project has all but destroyed them.

“It’s ghost town stuff,” said Steve Piper, owner of Co Kids childcare, “it’s dying”.

Piper said he had been forced to lease five secured car parks from the neighbouring hotel to ensure parents using the facility had somewhere to safely park, following a “near death miss accident” when a bus wiped out a car door as a pregnant mother with two children was about to exit her vehicle, and “endless complaints” from parents about abusive and fast cyclists.

A newly opened bus lane had reduced car park numbers even further, with 60 unable to be used between 6.30am and 9.30am.

“Tradies can’t stop before 9.30am southbound. What if you’re a plumber and can’t park? You’re going to keep going. You want to pick up a coffee? Sorry.”

Want to stay in the know? Sign up for the latest news alerts here (iPhone) or here (Android)

Work began on the 1.8km stretch of road back in 2021 when the Wellington City Council converted the street’s angled parks to parallel parks, in the name of improving cyclist safety. A group of nearby businesses challenged that decision with the Court of Appeal subsequently finding the process to be flawed but not ordering a halt to the work.

The project proper began in 2023 amid revelations that $5.2m worth of pipe work beneath the road was overdue with the ensuing months of roadworks and the loss of customer parking cited as major factors in the closure of several businesses. Those included the decades-old Bordeaux Bakery and Kiwi clothing company Cactus Outdoor.

It is understood several retail tenants are unlikely to renew leases, with the lack of parking being the main reason.

Co-owner of Gar-Fare cafe Brendon Carter previously told The Post there had been a 40% drop in customers during five months of construction outside his cafe between February and July last year, and he said little had changed.

“It hasn’t improved. If anything [the project] has made things worse for everybody.”

At the other end of the quay, TQ Cafe owner Ay Touch had also noticed a big drop in the number of customers since the removal of parking directly outside and across the road from her cafe. There was also less foot traffic.

“Everyone complains about the lack of parking. Really, all I want is for the car parks to be put back,” she said.

Paul Robinson is owner of The Woolstore Design Centre and runs a family business which leases premises to around 80 small businesses across Wellington, Porirua and the Hutt Valley.

“The Woolstore represents about 25% of our tenants by number but over 50% of our current and pending vacant space. We have not experienced this level of vacancy at any time in 20 years, [nor are we] experiencing this level of vacancy anywhere else in our portfolio.”

He said while the council told businesses there had been no retail economic impact assessment conducted for the Thorndon Quay project, he had been provided with a draft economic report written in 2017 which, while never completed, had outlined the likely negative effects.

It noted the strip could best be described as a “destination area”, with its key attributes being its proximity to rail and bus hubs and the availability of on-street parking “a major” reason for many of the businesses being located there.

Any reduction in the number of on-street parks without effective mitigation raises the possibility of business closures or relocation, the report said.

Robinson and Piper argued the so-called improvements only emphasised that the area was now considered little more than a transport corridor. Road layout changes had increased the danger for all users.

Predictions of an up-tick in bus users (currently 10,000 a day) and cyclists, with the latter expected to increase by between 450 to 600 each day, had not appeared to have panned out, Robinson said.

“This is clearly not the case …The cycle lane appears under utilised between 9.30am and 4pm. I reckon about 50 unique cyclists use the lane during these business hours.”

It was so wide that medium sized trucks drove up and down the cycleway as the need arose, he said. “This is normal – not exceptional behaviour.”

“We have repeatedly asked for reviews of this project. We have repeatedly put our case over eight years – but we just get treated as if we are Nimbys. In spite of all the suggestions to the contrary, this project is having a severe impact on local businesses.”

Meanwhile the project ‒ originally expected to cost around $55m ‒ is forecast to come in $14m under budget, although final costs won’t be known until July 2026.

Of the projected $41m, construction costs make up $30.9m with a further $8.9m spent on consultants and $1.3m on council staff.

At least two buildings along the strip had been put on the market recently. Both failed to sell. One, bought for $6.8m and since strengthened received no bids when it was offered for sale at $4m. It is now subject to a mortgagee sale.

Council CEO Matt Prosser said he and his team were continuing to engage with Thorndon Quay business leaders. A report into spending in the area was being finalised and would likely be released later next week, he said.

Comments are moderated during working hours and may not appear immediately.