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What’s happening with Courtenay Place & the Golden Mile?

Inner-City Wellington

Here’s an update from Wellington City Council

Kia ora koutou,
Wellington City Council is pleased to bring you an update about the improvements planned for Courtenay Place through to Lambton Quay.

The works for ‘The Golden Mile’ area (Courtenay Place through to Willis Street, Manners Street and Lambton Quay), transferred to Wellington City Council in March this year when the former Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme was formally dissolved. You can read about this here. 

We have established a dedicated Major Transport Project team to deliver this critical project and you can contact the team with enquiries at Courtenay@wcc.govt.

We’re revitalising the heart of the city with generous spaces for people to shop, work and play.

Partnering with mana whenua is essential and we’re committed to celebrating our city centre’s rich and unique cultural history.  

Since taking over the Golden Mile project, Council has reviewed Let’s Get Wellington Moving’s plans and made decisions about how to deliver the works as efficiently as possible. The construction schedule is being confirmed and we will be engaging with businesses and residents about our plans in the coming months.    

Where will construction start?
The Cambridge/Kent Terrace intersection will be the first area of work for the Golden Mile project, and following that, the upgrade of Courtenay Place. This is likely to be completed before any major works on Willis Street, Manners Street and Lambton Quay begins.  There is no construction planned for Lambton Quay in 2024/25.   

Efficiency-focused approach 
We are ensuring our planning is fully integrated with all the other infrastructure works Council is responsible for. We are undertaking an analysis of all aspects of the build, from design to materials to ensure the most cost-effective options are selected – without impacting performance or functionality.  

We will undertake water renewals where possible, resolving any known or identified water issues while we are completing underground works. We’ll need to do some additional investigations, but the benefit to Wellington will be significant.    

Keeping you informed
We appreciate businesses and residents need detailed timings for this construction, to understand how and when they may be impacted. We are working on these details, and input from businesses will help us finalise construction plans.  

We will begin by talking to businesses and residents around the Cambridge/Kent Terraces intersection. We will reach out shortly, but you can also register your interest in speaking with us by emailing Courtenay@wcc.govt.nz. 

We are committed to continued engagement with businesses and residents, and will be guided by the following principles:

  • We will ensure businesses and residents are provided with consistent and regular information to understand construction plans and methods.  

  • We will involve businesses in identifying possible ways to reduce construction disruption through one-on-one meetings, where possible.  

  • Construction sites will establish clear entry routes, excellent wayfinding and pedestrian access to shops, offices and residences. 

  • We will leverage our Positively Pōneke brand to keep people using the city centre during construction and seek opportunities and ideas for activating spaces even during construction. Examples of this can be found here Positively Pōneke (positivelyponeke.govt.nz)

As our planning develops, we will share images of how the finished build will look as well as technical details about how construction will be planned and delivered.  

We expect to share more of our construction planning work in August. 
Ngā mihi
WCC Major Transport Projects Team