Dunedin waterfront project on hold
Ambitious plans for Dunedin’s waterfront have been mothballed because of COVID-19 but the vision for the project remains, mayor Aaron Hawkins says. “This is a delay, not a death knell.”
City councillors decided to put the project on hold while the city weathers the economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. The council has advised the Government it’s withdrawing from the Provincial Growth Fund process “for now”.
The $20 million bridge which has been granted funding approval from the council.
“The waterfront vision was one of a number of transformational projects the Council has been working to progress,” Aaron Hawkins says. “What sets it apart from things like the Central City Plan is that it was always seen as public funding that would drive significant private investment.
“In the current economic climate those odds have gotten far longer, so we’re going to push pause on this until the economy improves.”
Planned planting which is designed to filter out the wind from the basin.
On 30 October 2019, the city was awarded $19.9 million from the PGF to help pay for the first stage of transformation work on Dunedin’s waterfront.
The conditional funding agreement was to pay for groundworks, building platforms, public realm treatments and sea wall upgrades needed for the project, but the details of the agreement were still being finalised when the COVID-19 lockdown came into force.
In order to avoid further delays when the project does eventually go ahead the council says it’ll continue to progress design and consenting processes as far as is practicable.
The decision to withdraw from PGF also means work on the waterfront bridge - designed by Dunedin-based architect Damien van Brandenburg - has been put on hold, pending a report to council on the future of the project.
