5 Feb 2014

Residents assn opposes flyover

9:39 pm on 5 February 2014

The Mount Victoria Residents Association says a building intended to screen the Basin Reserve from a proposed flyover in Wellington would do nothing to help the cricket ground.

A board of inquiry is deciding whether to give resource consent to the New Zealand Transport Agency's $90 million flyover project which would run from Buckle Street to the Mount Victoria tunnel.

Submitters have raised concerns about the effects of the flyover on the Basin Reserve as a cricket ground, particularly the distraction and noise of traffic.

The Transport Agency says it will construct a building between the R A Vance Stand and the toilet block, screening the ground from the flyover.

But the Victoria Resident's Association says that's just solving a problem created by the flyover and does nothing to help the Basin Reserve.

It also says the flyover does not follow best practice in international transport. It says highway systems should be between cities and not in them and the agency should be trying to integrate cars, cyclists and walkers better.

The neighbouring Newtown Residents' Association also opposes the flyover and wants the board of inquiry to investigate whether enough consideration was given to other solutions.

The association's representative, lawyer Philip Milne, says while it is common to plant or construct a screen where there is a highway, the agency should not be allowed to do this in an historic area.

Council supportive

Wellington City Council is lending its support to the flyover, but there are strings attached.

Its lawyer, Kerry Anderson, told the board that council support will only come if a new building is put up at the cricket ground.

That would restrict the view of the flyover from the Basin Reserve and ensure the venue can continue to be used for cricket matches.

The arguments for and against