Waterfront theatre still on cards, superyacht facility off council agenda
A waterfront theatre may yet go ahead after a councillor revolt failed at Auckland Council yesterday.
A waterfront theatre may yet go ahead after a councillor revolt failed at Auckland Council yesterday.
A waterfront theatre may yet go ahead after a councillor revolt failed at Auckland Council yesterday.
The council’s strategy and finance committee battled for nine hours over mayor Len Brown’s budget for the next 10 years and left out millions of dollars of proposals.
The theatre proposal survived – but the Auckland Theatre Company still has to come up with another $13.4 million before the council will hand over its $10m share.
The eight councillors had put forward an alternative cheaper budget but were beaten 15 to eight.
The group of eight had also wanted delay replacing the cruiseship terminal on Princes Wharf and to set the council’s uniform charge at $450 but the committee chose to set it at $350.
The committee agreed to a 3% rates rise, though this will affect ratepayers differently across the city because eight rating systems are being merged into one, now based on capital value and following a citywide revaluation.
The group of eight had wanted to can a superyacht facility to be built at Wynyard Quarter for surrounding marine businesses and partly won their way.
The council will tell Waterfront Auckland it won’t get $16m from ratepayers and needs to come up with a commercial proposal if it it to go ahead.