DOWNTOWN AUCKLAND

Media Briefing 25.06.14

RWC 2001 Courtesy of Mike Mizrahi Inside out Productions





Quay Park ? potential built form
Quay Street - Existing
Quay Street - Potential
San Francisco
San Francisco
River Split
River Split, Croatia
River Split
Lower Hobson - Existing
Lower Hobson - Potential


INSERT WATERFRONT
PRECINCT IMAGE

LAND OWNERSHIP
Downtown
Shopping
Centre HSBC Tower
1 Queen Street
CPO
Britomart
ZURICH House
21 Queen Street
QE Square
CITY RAIL LINK
DOWNTOWN BUS INTERCHANGE
QUAY STREET


Pre Pkeh
&
reclamation
Original
built
form to
1960s
Lower Queen Street
1920ss
LOWER QUEEN STREET
Public Space Considerations
Site of Queen Elizabeth
Square circa 1970
Ferry Building

1970s
1980s
today
The Square is a transitional
space, perhaps a forecourt to
the buildings, but as a
pleasant place for
pedestrians to relax in the
city it is a failure. The
reasons are both physical
and psychological.Even on
a warm and calm summer
day, there is little to attract
people to the Square. It is a
dull space showing little
regard for human scale or
feeling.
Ministry of Works and Development 1977
Queen Elizabeth Square ? Evaluation as Public Space

Positives:
Civic space (otherwise limited in the downtown area) capable
of holding events
Potential good relationship with CPO, an enhanced Lower
Queen Street and redeveloped Downtown Shopping Centre
Site of Te Ahi Kaa Roa and Kauri Grove
Close to the water

Negatives:
Substantially shadowed by HSBC Tower, 1 Queen Street
Lack of active edges onto it
Place to pass through rather than linger
Visual severance of canopy and physical severance of
underpass infrastructure & bus stops
No direct relationship to the water
Design ignores cultural value of location
Doesnt reflect historic built form

Five design principles
1. Lower Queen Street & Queen Elizabeth Square a
pedestrianised Lower Queen Street and enhanced or
incorporated QE Square.
2. Te Ara Tahuhu Extension (East-West Mid-Block Link)
new public pedestrian street as part of the CCMP laneway
circuit
3. Little Queen Street (North-South Mid-Block Link)
reinstatement as pedestrian route
4. Lower Albert Street Bus Interchange design integration
5. Visual Connectivity key views optimised including to
important adjoining heritage buildings






Within the Block Space Opportunities ?
proposed roof top space
Quay Street ? Welcome Mat
Project Status: design team to be appointed 2014
Supporting Public Realm Upgrades
Public Space Considerations
Potential World Class
Civic and Recreational
Public Space
civic space
The alternative world class civic
space in front of CPO enabled by:
1. bus interchange moving to Lower
Albert rather than Lower Queen
Street
2. creation of an east west public
street through the block
3. Precincts development including
QE Square.

Retention of QE Square and delivery
of Lower Queen Street civic space a
none option.
Lower Queen Street Civic Space
Project Status: subject to bus interchange location
Supporting Public Realm Upgrades
Public Space Considerations
Lower Queen Street Civic Space
Project Status: subject to bus interchange location
Supporting Public Realm Upgrades
Grand Harbour Stair - View from Quay Street (Viaduct end)
Project Status: Unfunded
New public space opportunities
Admiralty Basin ? View from Commerce Street
Project Status: Unfunded
New public space opportunities
Auckland Development Committee
15
th
May 2014 Resolutions
a) approve in principle the disposal of land on which Queen Elizabeth Square stands as part of the wider redevelopment of the
Downtown Shopping Centre block subject to the outcome of associated statutory public processes (road stopping and
rezoning of the land). Statutory process over next 12 months: Road Stopping Process (publicly
notified), Unitary Plan/Plan Change Process (publicly notified), Resource Consent (public
notification to be determined).

b) agree to the sale only if the proceeds from the potential disposal of Queen Elizabeth Square are reinvested in new or
enhanced public civic space/s that:
i. is of at least the same quantum and higher quality to the existing space
ii. is located either within or in reasonable proximity to the Downtown Shopping Centre block
iii. is capable of being delivered broadly at the same time as the permanent loss of the existing space.

c) direct staff to work with the Waitemata Local Board and Iwi on evaluating ? offsite ?public civic space options with the findings to
be considered by the Parks, Recreation and Sports Committee prior to being presented back to the Auckland Development
Committee for approval in August. Work underway: Downtown Public Space Evaluation Study (QESq
and alternative ?offsite?spaces) - Reset Urban Design, Queen Elizabeth Square Evaluation ?
Jan Gehl Architects, Te Aranga Maori Design Principles Evaluation and Hui ? Design Tribe.
d) agree to the sale of Queen Elizabeth Square being considered as part of the preparation of a Development Agreement
between Auckland Transport, Auckland Council Property Limited and Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited on the basis
that:
i. its final inclusion remains subject to statutory public processes (road stopping and rezoning of the land).
ii. the Development Agreement include conditions relating to the built form outcomes sought by council.
e) agree that any disposal of Queen Elizabeth Square is done so in the context of the overall masterplan and its vision for the
city centre and achieving world class outcomes befitting this unique space in the context of Auckland.
Public Space Evaluation Reports Scope
1. Strategic overview of public space provision in city centre/downtown on based on City Centre
Masterplan/Waterfront Plan.

2. Public Space Needs Assessment review of public space needs in the downtown area and
benchmarking assessment of Queen Elizabeth Square.

3. Assumptions document assumptions around future public space provision in the downtown area e.g.
Lower Queen Street and Quay Street.

4. Initial site selection for evaluation based on sifting criteria (limited to area north of the old foreshore
line)

5. Selected site evaluation (ideally no more than 5) Evaluation of selected sites against open space
acquisition framework criteria, public realm/urban design considerations , international best practice (to
include workshops with Waitemata Local Board) and Te Aranga/Maori Cultural Landscape Principles
(Design Tribe -Rau Hoskins)

6. Feasibility work rough scheme design and costing, delivery issues and opportunities,
interdependencies and further work identification

7. Recommendations on space/s to be pursued and the associated funding and delivery programme.
NEXT STEPS
Receive evaluation reports from Gehl Architects, Reset
Urban Design and Design Tribe

Report to Parks, Recreation and Sport Committee on offsite
alternative spaces - 5
th
August

Downtown Framework presented to Auckland Development
Committee 14
th
August.

Statutory processes related to potential disposal of QE
Square commence August (subject to the above)

PPNZL due to lodge resource consent late 2014.