Keep convention centre alive, says Chamber

23 December 2014

Keep convention centre alive, says Chamber

The City Council should put every effort into keeping alive the convention centre for Wellington, says Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce President John Milford.

“The dropping by the developers of plans to use the site opposite Te Papa is very disappointing.

“But we should be encouraged that they are already proceeding with talks on securing an alternative site on the waterfront, and architects and engineers are redesigning the plans to suit.

“That’s reassuring. If the old Interisland Wharf can be made to work, there is potential for it to be a better-placed location.

“The key point is that the council’s chief executive has assured ratepayers that the agreed costs to the council will not change. Neither will the package of hotel rooms and conference capacity – no compromises on the offering.

“No doubt there is much work to be done by the parties involved, and if it happens there will be delays. The Chamber urges those involved to push on with the project as soon as possible. The city and the region need this project to be delivered by 2017 so we can maintain and attract our share of the lucrative convention market.

“The business case stacked up previously and if the agreed costs and package remain the same it should continue to stack up. The council has assured us that the numbers and details around the profit-share were crunched properly by independent consultants.

“The Chamber still believes this project is compelling as part of the bigger package Wellington offers. It’s a promising development which has the potential to deliver real opportunities for the city and the region.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media