The venue for next year's World Cup "Party Central" may need to be changed after Auckland Regional Council's about-face on plans for Auckland's Queen's Wharf, Prime Minister John Key says.Mr Key, who is in China, said he was frustrated by the la
The venue for next year's World Cup "Party Central" may need to be changed after Auckland Regional Council's about-face on plans for Auckland's Queen's Wharf, Prime Minister John Key says.
Mr Key, who is in China, said he was frustrated by the latest development.
The ARC yesterday voted in favour of transforming one of two 98-year-old cargo sheds into the World Cup fan-hub and also a cruise ship terminal.
The sheds were scheduled to be demolished and replaced with a temporary glass and steel structure -- the option favoured by the Government.
Both ARC chairman Mike Lee and Cabinet Minister Murray McCully said in April they couldn't imagine retaining the sheds which Mr Lee described as "old, cheap and nasty".
But after the New Zealand Historic Places Trust became involved and pushed to save the sheds, the ARC changed its tune.
Mr Key said he was open to looking for another site in Auckland where a temporary structure could be erected.
