Ports of Auckland is planning to extend Auckland’s Port considerably. In the Draft Auckland Waterfront Plan there is a 250m extension to the Bledisloe wharf, a reclaimation of 18 hectares into the Waitemata harbor along with major changes to the roading and rail infrastructure serving it. The presentation of this major extension in the Draft Auckland Plan and Waterfront Plan was poor and misleading. The planned extension is progressing towards approval without appropriate public consultation or appropriate assessment of effects.
The AAA as well as Heart of the City and Urban Design Forum have been lobbying against the Port’s growth in various submissions and presentations to the Auckland Council.
Roll your mouse over the graphic below to see the extent of the proposed extension.
Numerous herald editorials & articles have been published recently regarding the extension and its effects on the city, the public and the harbor:
01 Boaties fear grave effect on harbor
02 Port will ‘shrink harbour’
03 Editorial: Open scrutiny of port plans vital for city
04 Extra freight key reason for port’s expansion
05 Plans ‘turn harbour into a river’
06 Mainfreight boss sees alternatives to Auckland harbor grab
Heart of the City have launched a publicity campaign titled “Your Port, Your Call” urging Aucklanders to find out more about the “extraordinary” plans by the port to expand its operations. We encourage you to show your support for a rethink via their Facebook Campaign.
“Before we consent away our waterfront we should consider the wider implications, economic and environmental, and demand a review of the port’s plan and seek a range of alternatives for Aucklanders to consider,” Alex Swney, HOTC.
Ian Mitchell
Use the area to the east of the Parnell Baths bridge and south of the railway. This is under cliffs and therefore largely out of sight. Extend the wharf are east of Mechanics bay. The deeper channel then need not go up so far into the city front.
Mark
@Ian – I don’t think shifting East is any better a solution. In-fact that would consume considerably more of our precious waterfront.
There is potential for development of the existing port without the need to extend any further into the harbor. There is considerable area in-between the existing ‘fingers’ of the port which, along with sensible design, can be optimised to cater for a sizable amount of growth. This sensibly designed expansion is of considerably less effect to ALL OTHER USES of Auckland City. It preserves our harbor, our waterfront and all other economic and environmental operations that are equally dependent on our harbor, waterfront and city. Not to mention the effects those of us who live in, and wish to enjoy Auckland (which the mayor wants to be ‘the most livable city’).
Ultimately the Port needs to expand its operations to our NZ’s other ports. Ports which do not consume the greater portion of city waterfront and harbor. The Port of Tauranga and Northport (Marden) are considerably better positioned and configured for growth without the compromise of the greater city and towns within which they are located.
It is absolute insanity that in a contemporary city, considered broadly, that we would want to close off more of our waterfront & harbor and increase the heavy and negative flow on effects (trucks, roads & rail) along our waterfront, within our city, on our cities motorways, and through the various suburban areas through which our rail lines pass.
Kate
@Mark The trouble is getting the Ports to co-operate as they currently compete, it would be great to work on an NZ wide network of ports, its not right the Auckland takes the Lions share and then tries to feed it through the busy CBD and take up valuable waterfront space.
Working within their existing boundaries they have plenty of space and opportunities to develop, they have vast amounts of empty containers just sitting there for months on end, so why expand the port when these empties could be kept elsewhere.
Lets weigh the economic & social advantages of the port with that of a successful public waterfront and make an informed decision in which the port takes into account its wider context.
Mark
@Kate – totally agree. Competing Ports doesn’t help.
The Council needs to then enforce normal limits and controls. As with any devlopment the Ports must take into account their neighbours and fairly assess their effect on them, then mitigate these effects. The current planned growth does no such thing – they are basically making the Port as big as possible. What about the cities ‘view shaft’ towards its greatest assets – its volcanic cones, waterfront & harbor!
Phil
Unfortunately , as we all know this is an inherited legacy for Auckland.
Where should they extend?
Are the ports the future economic powerhouse of Auckland?
Is this NIMBYism?
Why is only one alternative (massive expansion) being presented?
Considering that most people drive past them anyway, what real difference will it make?
How important is access to that part of the waterfront to Auckland?
If the Western end of the port-frontage is opened up and the container terminals compressed, how much more efficiently can the existing facilities be utilised?
The desires of Auckland for a waterfront and the reality of having one is a real concern, as more people move to the area, more pressure is being exerted upon existing coastline and yet the majority of Auckland doesn’t see it, se it or recognise it. What I am really expressing here is the need for collaborative design and informative public process, not just another competition to choose a mediocre plan that is selected by mediocrity or we will become a “mediorecity”. Its a shame we didn’t originally have the ports situated where the tank farm/marina is now, then we would be discussing a much easier desire, to have access to a marina. There is also a great opportunity to really develop a fantastic lineal park system along the waterfront towards the eastern beaches integrated with a commuter tram system and the three lane-ing of Tamaki drive, to have dynamic traffic flow management.
The important thing is not to let this happen ad-hoc and ensure that public comment is heard!
Alastair McKenzie
What has been alarming is the poor presentation and communication of the ports plan to the public in the draft waterfront plan, shown was 2 images and barely any text and readers are expected to go and find the actual plan elsewhere. POAL will have to go through the resource consent process for the extension, however if the current plan in the draft makes it to the final they have weight to their arguments.
There have been many calls to move the port, but I don’t think that is a realistic option, we have to work with what we have. What we need, as you mention is a collaborative design and informative public process that explores other options and addresses a wider range of considerations.
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