Part of the plans for the Golden Mile. Photo: Let's Get Wellington Moving
- Council documents show construction on Wellington's Golden Mile upgrade will begin in April
- The development was part of the now axed Let's Get Wellington Moving transport programme
- It will remove cars, widen foot paths and provide cycling improvements between Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place
Wellington's long-awaited Golden Mile upgrade will start construction in April.
The controversial $140 million Golden Mile development was part of the now-disestablished Let's Get Wellington Moving transport programme.
It will see will see cars banned between Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place, along with widened footpaths and a cycle lane.
Construction on the Courtenay Place elements of the project were expected to start this year, however at the time of writing the council's website stated an exact construction start date was yet to be confirmed.
Council agenda documents seen by RNZ show construction work will start in April and that a full design release to the public was planned for this month.
News relating to the plan was expected in the coming days after Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau told RNZ last week that announcement was coming on the Golden Mile in the next two weeks.
She has been a champion of the project as it was one of the main policies she backed as part of her mayoral campaign.
In a statement Whanau released earlier this year, she said it would help revitalise the city centre.
"Businesses will be actively engaged throughout the project and will significantly benefit from the influx of customers that will be attracted to the area once the revitalisation is complete."
Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus told RNZ the Golden Mile's risk to business was a concern.
"They still don't really know what the risks to business are to doing this in any meaningful way, that's always been a problem."
Arcus said there must be good consultation on when works on the project was being done.
He did highlight however that work was needed on the Courtenay Place precinct
"We definitely think that is important it is in a very sad state compared to years past, so supportive of some change there."
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