News briefs – February
City to Sea bridge upgrade agreed
Work to upgrade the City to Sea bridge and associated structures is expected to begin in April.
This follows a decision by the Wellington City Council to put $15 million towards maintenance work on the City to Sea Bridge and minimally strengthen and upgrade the former Capital E building.
The council had previously voted to demolish the bridge due to seismic risk, however public outcry and an impending legislative change to earthquake strengthening rules led to a last-minute reprieve.
The basic upgrades to Capital E building would mean it can be leased out to tenants, although they will have to do their own fit out.
Golden Mile review just started
It may be the middle of the year before the Wellington City Council decides what to do with controversial Golden Mile project.
Although councillors agreed in November last year to commission an independent review of the proposal and its costs, a tender was only posted in late January asking for consultants to deliver an independent desktop review of the Golden Mile Project.
“This Review will reassess the project’s Benefit–Cost Ratio (BCR), strategic alignment, value for money (VFM), and economic impacts in light of significant cost escalations.”
The review is expected to take between three to six months to complete and cost around $200,000-400,000.
Gordon Wilson Flats still hereburger
The abandoned Gordon Wilson Flats remain standing on The Terrace, despite Victoria University announcing in December last year that demolition would start that month.
According to a statement from the university, the building will be deconstructed in stages, in a process estimated to take around 12 months.
The university got the go ahead to take down the 11-storey residential complex after
RMA Reform and Housing Minister Chris Bishop pushed through an amendment to the Resource Management Act with a section specifically targeting the Gordon Wilson Flats, and requiring the Wellington City Council to remove its heritage status and permit demolition.
The Minister then declared the heritage protection ‘goneburger’ and promised Wellingtonians that the building was “unlikely to mar our beautiful city’s skyline for too much longer.”
Despite opposition from heritage advocates, and a plan from the Architecture Centre to restore the large residential complex, the university said restoration was not financially viable.
The building had deteriorated over the last decade, since the University bought it in 2014.
“The structures suffer from extensive rot, asbestos, seismic issues, and other critical problems that make restoration too costly,” Vice-Chancellor Nic Smith says.
