Grand(enburg) gates to a purpose
WHAT else could we do in Dunedin for $25 million to $50 million? If more fun things to do in the city and a dynamic tourist attraction is the highest priority we could do a lot worse than spend $23 million on the cable car project.
The Dunedin Heritage Light Rail Trust has been doing its bit. In early October it brought the No 95 grip car back from Ferrymead in Christchurch. It has been restored and joins No 97, which is already at the shed in Mornington.
This project also ticks the ‘‘I love history’’ box. The last Mornington cable car went up High St in 1957, preceded by the Dunedin Ladies Pipe Band playing a lament.
We could certainly find some pipers to pipe a triumphant March as the cable cars run again. Of course it would need a piece of van Brandenburg design attached, apparently a prerequisite for a vote for any major money spend in Dunedin now. Surely the van Brandenburgs would gift us something appropriate.
If a lack of affordable housing is a top priority, then for $22 million we could build an awardwinning 231bed facility including dorm rooms, studios and apartments. The one the Otago Polytechnic has just completed was praised it for its efficient modular layout and offsite fabrication, reducing construction time, minimising cost and reducing waste.
Those attributes would be important, especially as the building would be owned by the DCC, which sometimes struggles with containing costs. The Otago Polytechnic building also won a Green Building Award, and it has been praised for being sustainable. Oh so many boxes would be ticked by replicating this building to provide flexible and forward thinking accommodation options for social housing.
We would not need to involve the van Brandenburgs, since there is already an awardwinning design, but to get a vote for this project we could perhaps have them maybe design a front gate, which may add a million or so to the cost but would be well worth it to get the project approved.
Now a suggestion from left field. If we moved into the over$25 million category we could build a sea wall around South Dunedin to keep the impending tide out. Several years ago there was a report by, I think, Beca suggesting such a wall could be in the region of $30 million.
For the people of South Dunedin that must seem a good investment to keep their heads above water.
Perhaps this wall could have a commemorative area to the vision of those who think outside the Octagon about climate change and sea level rise, including those who have been getting together to approach the Shane Jones treasure chest for $50 million for the waterfront. (This area would of course be designed by the van Brandenburgs).
Currently we have a proposed bridge jutting out to nowhere and a
$50 million proposal for a project which is intended to include mending of the sea wall in the harbour basin and raising the land in whatever fashion is required to resist sea level rise.
There is also a proposal for various buildings including a centre where people can go to study the effects of sea level rise on the long suffering people of South Dunedin. (All to be designed by the van Brandenburgs with no contestable design proposals).
So while considering ‘‘visions’’ we should add the $25 million for the bridge to the $50 million for the harbour folly, a total of $75 million which could be available.
And maybe we could have cable cars, a sea wall around South Dunedin and a housing project!
Or maybe only two out of three, but hopefully, twothirds of the money being from central government. That would make our rates rises more palatable.
If there are institutions or private investors wanting to build on leasehold waterfront land that can still happen. And if so, once there are modern, futuristic buildings down in the waterfront it may make sense to build the bridge to what would then be somewhere.
Ian Taylor was quoted in the ODT (24/11/18) as saying ‘‘If we are looking for a direction the city takes, that will guarantee its future, being the centre of excellence around climate change and sustainability is the best place to be’’.
A wall to prevent drownings protecting South Dunedin, plus an excellent and sustainable social housing project would be more than likely to fulfil this brief.
But before we commit to any of these projects we should see what the visions of other Dunedin people are.
We have an election next year. We should not be forming secret squirrel clubs with uncontested architectural advice and unelected visions to move forward ideas about how to spend our money, or how to squander any chances we have of scoring funds from the inflatable Shane Jones fund. — hcalvert@extra.co.nz
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