Beggars ‘ deprive’ city of luxury tenants

Business sector says homelessness on CBDstreets is putting off more international retailers from setting up shop

Queen Street’s homeless people are deterring many international tenants from Auckland’s central business district, real estate bosses say.

But homelessness workers said the commercial sector should consider helping out by providing a night shelter instead of criticising.

Greg Loveridge, the Aucklandbased New Zealand general manager and a director of billion- dollar landlord Robt. Jones Holdings — which owns many buildings in and around Queen St — complained to the Herald about Queen St’s homeless.

“They’re damaging the city. People with drug and alcohol addictions need to be cared for by society but they can’t be around to impose on others in the street. Major international retail chains won’t come here.

“It makes it a less attractive place for people to shop and less attractive for international retailers to be and therefore deprives the greater Auckland area from increased prosperity,” Loveridge said.

A group of global retailers, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany & Co. and others have opened near the waterfront in recent years.

But Loveridge said many more were not here, in part due to the homeless. Loveridge said he had tried to raise the issue with Auckland Council but got nowhere.

“The council’s position i s ‘ if they’re not causing any problems, we won’t do anything’,” he complained.

Robt. Jones Holdings had issues with homeless people threatening tenants at one of its larger Auckland properties, Crombie Lockwood House at 191 Queen St, opposite Hannahs near the Victoria St- Queen St intersection, he said.

“They were sleeping in the carpark and we had to put in security gates.”

Martin Henderson, a top leasing agent of Metro Commercial, agreed with Loveridge, saying it was a major issue at 125 Queen St where tenants had to walk over homeless people “without control of their bladders”.

Henderson’s colleague Nathan Male indicated extreme frustration about the situation.

“Where do I start? Where do I fin- ish?” Male asked of issues with the Auckland CBD beggars.

“Tramps will have ding- dong screaming match in the streets!”

Beggars were not in Westfield malls or at Sylvia Park and the property specialists asked why the CBD couldn’t be controlled like those properties, Male said.

Viv Beck, Heart of the City chief executive, said her organisation was also worried.

“We are concerned about the impact of these issues on city businesses, their staff and customers and visitors to the city. It’s not only businesses that are affected, locals and visitors alike talk about the impact of these issues on our city streets and our reputation as a city. We continue to raise our concerns with council and will be seeking further action with the new council. We have also been active in seeking solutions to end homelessness on city streets and are pleased that social service providers have come together to support a sustainable solution that has been successful internationally — Housing First,” she said.

Action was under way to improve emergency accommodation, with targeted rate funding committed to enhance emergency housing at James Liston Hostel, Beck said.

“We need to take action on these i ssues before it worsens and just becomes the norm on our city streets,” she said.

Michelle Kidd of the Te Rangimarie Charitable Trust encouraged more sympathy.

“We must start to look after our people. We need to step back as a society. It’s also about the commercial people stepping up for a night shelter,” she said.

Kevin Marriott, the council's acting general manager of arts, community and events, cited council and Government funding to combat homelessness which he said his organisation was committed to eliminating.

Viv Beck, Heart of the City