-
Source: ONE News -
Watch Video
-
Related
The vision of Auckland's Queens Wharf as party central for the 2011 Rugby World Cup has struck a hitch over how it should look.
A design contest could be abandoned less than a fortnight before the winner is due to be announced because the key players are not happy with the finalists.
They says they are not sure the finalists are good enough, creating doubt over whether the contest will go ahead.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee says he was hoping for something world class to replace the banana shed and used car depot that make up the wharf currently.
But he feels the eight current options are not quite there.
"I found them underwhelming, mediocre, hopeless really in terms of the way they looked," says Lee.
And Auckland Mayor John Banks agrees with his views.
"We're not necessarily going to tick off what we've seen because what we've seen, the public don't particularly like," says Banks.
On Friday, the Auckland city and regional councils met with a government representative to discuss the best way forward. They are still in talks but are not ruling out the possibility the design competition might be scrapped.
"If the finalists cannot manage to come up with an elegant classy looking building then we'll have to get other people in, it's simple as that," says Lee.
Banks would like to boost the budget but cannot say where the extra money would come from. Ratepayers are already stumping up with $56 million.
"If we want an iconic build on Queens Wharf then we may need an iconic budget," says Banks.
One of the eight finalists agrees.
"I think all of them would value an increase in the budget to deliver something better," says David Gibbs.
Gibbs says he originally entered something more elaborate than the one he finally submitted and which was chosen, but said he was told to scale it back.
