Wellington City Council has agreed to hold off on demolishing the City to Sea bridge for now, following legal action from a lobby group.
The council voted earlier this month to tear down the footbridge connecting the capital’s waterfront and Civic Square.
A seismic assessment found the bridge was an earthquake risk – though some experts disagreed with that – and council staff deemed the $85m price tag for strengthening it too high.
But the Wellington Civic Trust applied to the High Court in Wellington for a judicial review of the decision, after criticising the consultation process.
The council had agreed not to do any work on the bridge – which could have begun as soon as next month – before the judicial review was heard in April.
The trust said the court found both parties were in “broad agreement” to halt demolition for now.
“This is a stunning outcome,” said the trust’s chair Helene Ritchie.
“Our negotiation has been a hard slog but the results have paid off until further court order.”
Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said it would abide by the court ruling.
Work planned for the rest of Te Ngākau Civic Square would continue, he said.
The decision to demolish the bridge was controversial, with those in favour – including Mayor Tory Whanau – saying it was necessary to keep people safe.
During the meeting Whanau said she loved the bridge, but believed in the officers’ advice, and the council could not afford the remediation.
But some councillors, and other experts, said there was no need to demolish the bridge, and there were other ways to fix it for less money.
The council was criticised for not including an option to strengthen it in public consultation documents.
But council staff said the documents explained why remediation was not considered a “reasonably practicable option”, due to budget constraints.
rnz.co.nz
