Your midtown neighbourhood

Midtown community update - 26 April 2024

• On Albert Street, large sections of pavement are being formed near the AA building, and the streetscape upgrades continue along Albert Street and Kingston Street. 
• Work has begun on Wellesley Street to prepare for the coming streetscape upgrades and bus improvements. 
• Work continues on the next sections of Te Hā Noa Victoria Street

Read more detail in our latest email update here.

Subscribe to email updates here

More on the Wellesley Street Bus Improvements

Auckland Transport are preparing to start construction to upgrade the streetscape and improve public transport facilities on Wellesley Street.

The first stage will be the Queen Street to Albert Street block, to get ready for the opening of Te Waihorotiu Station which is expected to have thousands of people flow through it each day. In our City Centre Masterplan, Wellesley Street is envisioned as the key east-west bus route across the city centre. 

Once the upgrade is complete, this section of Wellesley Street will have wider and safer crossings for pedestrians, better bus infrastructure and bus priority, which means faster journey times for people. To find out more about what's planned for Wellesley Street, visit ProgressAKL

Our commitments to you

We recognise that the work to regenerate midtown isn't without some disruption, and we're working to reduce the impact on you as much as we can. These are some of the things we're doing to address the key frustrations that businesses, residents and property owners have expressed to us:

Coordinate work:

• Across the Auckland Council group we’re committed to coordinating works where possible to reduce the overall disruption and get projects finished sooner.

Keep you informed 

• We know you need good information in order to plan for disruption. To stay up to date with the latest construction information and what is happening in your midtown neighbourhood, subscribe here.

• You can also contact us with any questions or concerns at midtown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz - we have a dedicated council representative on-street daily, checking in and sharing updates. They are your key point of contact for all information and any issues. 

• You can view our latest newsletters here:

- 26 April

- 5 April

- 14 March

- 22 February 2024

Minimise disruption 

• Site works will generally be undertaken during daylight hours, Monday to Friday.
• We’ll do what we can to minimise noise and dust by using tools such as noise mats, cutting booths, and carefully choosing where things are positioned. Noisy works will mostly be during the day to minimise disruption to nearby residents and timed to be considerate of the needs of nearby residents and businesses where possible.
• At times it may be necessary to work at night, and we'll give you as much notice as possible. We'll do our best to minimise disruption to people sleeping nearby.
• Waste management and collection points will be maintained. 

Make sure you can still do what you do

• We’ll maintain access to your building and business throughout construction, and we’ll talk to your body corporate/property managers about managing impacts. 
• We’ll have good traffic management in place, including temporary loading bays to support loading and servicing in impacted areas.
• We know construction disruption can be really tough for small businesses, so we're offering the Midtown Small Business Support Programme, which includes a free business connector service and microgrants to eligible businesses.

Encourage people to keep coming to the area 

• Safe pedestrian access to buildings will be maintained at all times, so your customers or visitors can get to you. We’ll need to re-route people from time to time but we will use clear signage to help people get around. 
• We’ll use a mixture of fencing and hoardings to keep people safe, while providing light and visibility to businesses in the area. 
• We’re working with property managers to add interest to empty storefronts until new tenants are in place. If you’re interested in being part of our vacant stores programme, please contact Heart of the City. 
• We’re also working with Heart of the City on initiatives to improve safety in the city centre.
• We are hosting events and activities to attract more people to the midtown area. You can read more about these events here. If you’d like to participate in future events, contact us at midtown@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz – we welcome expressions of interest from all ground/first floor businesses in the midtown area. We can help with ideas for activities, offers or promotions if needed.