A fresh review of the troubled project has revived questions about the city\u2019s faltering confidence in its own future, writes Catherine McGregor in today\u2019s extract from The Bulletin.<\/p>\n
To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday,\u00a0sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hitting pause<\/p>\n Wellington\u2019s Golden Mile project was put on hold last Thursday, with mayor Andrew Little arguing that ballooning costs left councillors with no choice but to pause it while they attempted to get a clear picture of the true price tag. The review \u2013 expected to take three to six months and cost up to $400,000 \u2013 was approved 12\u20134, with only the Green councillors opposing the delay.<\/p>\n The projected cost has now climbed from $139m to as much as $220m, and\u00a0Little told RNZ Morning Report<\/a>\u00a0the council and ratepayers \u201csimply cannot sustain another cost blowout\u201d. He said the project\u2019s goals remained sound but insisted the council must \u201ccut the cloth to suit\u201d. The pause places the project\u2019s future in limbo and raises the risk of losing NZTA co-funding if scope changes trigger reassessment under the government\u2019s stricter transport criteria.<\/p>\n How we got here<\/p>\n The Golden Mile has been subjected to repeated delays, redesigns and cost escalations since 2020, when it was costed at a mere $78m. Business owners objected strongly to the planned removal of car access, and the conservative councillors who backed them pushed for more studies and consultations. Over the past half-decade, as the upgrades kept being pushed back, the projected costs have continued to steeply rise.<\/p>\n So why not cancel the whole thing?\u00a0Last year in The Spinoff<\/a> Joel MacManus wrote a passionate argument for pushing forward, despite the setbacks. Opponents have an outdated view of who and what a central city is for, he wrote:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t have to go into the city to spend money any more. Increasingly, they don\u2019t even have to go there to work. They go because they want to be there. If the allure of the city centre is strong enough, people will find a way to get there, whether it means taking an Uber, a bus or bike. They\u2019ll even be willing to drive and park further away, or pay for private parking. Even crazier still, they could choose to live there.\u201c<\/p>\n \u2018The only responsible option there is\u2019<\/p>\n Fast forward to last week, and the 12-4 vote in favour of a pause. Deputy mayor Ben McNulty, who has previously championed the project, was one of the 12.\u00a0In a social media post<\/a>, he said the council could not absorb another major increase without threatening other commitments. Proceeding with the project would blow the budget by $60-$80m, with the chance that costs could balloon even further. \u201cYes it\u2019s bloody frustrating but it\u2019s the only responsible option there is.\u201d<\/p>\n