Mills Lane and Swanson Street Improvements

About the project

We’re working on improvements to Swanson Street and Mills Lane, which sit to the west of the Waihorotiu Queen Street Valley and both play an important role in our city centre. Swanson Street provides a key walking route through the city for thousands of people each day and the laneways provide essential loading and servicing functions.   

We need to improve these laneways, to make them easier and safer for people to move through and to provide more space and ease for loading and servicing activities.   

This upgrade will help ensure our city centre can function well, so people can do what they need to do with more ease. Whether it’s getting to their place of work, delivering services or equipment to businesses, or arriving home, we want our city centre streets to work better for people.

The project is guided by our visionary City Centre Masterplan which seeks to create a better-connected, safer and more accessible city centre, with improved spaces and streets.  

Engagement process

Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts and feedback during the recent public engagement. 

We have reviewed the feedback and are working with technical specialists to refine the design. We anticipate changes to the initial preliminary design following feedback from technical specialists and Auckland Transport. 

The updated preliminary design is expected to propose: 

• Improved pedestrian priority at the intersection of Mills Lane and Swanson Street 

• A lower speed

• A more accessible crossing point from Mills Lane to the Exchange Lane staircase

• Wider footpaths

• Loading and servicing improvements

• Improved lighting level 

If you have any questions or would like to email us feedback, you can reach the project team at citycentre@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Partnering with mana whenua

Our mana whenua partners for the project are Ngāti Maru and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. We’re exploring collaborative design opportunities such as patterned surfaces and/or installation of a light projection that celebrates the area’s heritage. 

What happens next?

We’re working to finalise the design and will keep you updated as the project moves forward.

 

Further information

This project is part of a programme funded by the city centre targeted rate. The targeted rate is paid by commercial and residential property owners in the city centre and helps fund the development and revitalisation of the city centre.  

The project is being coordinated alongside nearby private development to reduce disruption and prepare the street for large numbers of new tenants moving through the area. Swanson Street provides a key east-west pedestrian link in the city centre, and once City Rail Link construction is complete and buses return to Albert Street, it will be a busy connection to the Waihorotiu Queen Street Valley.   

Questions? Contact the project team at citycentre@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

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Auckland Council