QW - Politics:1 Auckland:1

Friday's joint decision by ARC and Government to keep Shed 10, build a temporary structure alongside, and deliver Party Central Rugby World Cup obligations on Queens Wharf is a classic political compromise. Two political faces get saved, the media feeding frenzy eases, the public relaxes. Politics 1. Politics won....

And Auckland loses a shed. Auckland 1. Just one will remain. That's the price of compromise. Auckland didn't need to lose Shed 11 to deliver a great fan zone and party central experience. It needed to lose Shed 11 to satisfy political egos. That's politics. Where anything goes. Including heritage...

Heritage isn't just about individual buildings. It's about landscapes. Queens Wharf used to have 6 of these sheds. Heritage assessments remark that the heritage value of Queens Wharf is less with 2 than with 6 sheds. So why get rid of Shed 10's sister? Why leave the wharf with an orphan? (Though if the graceless Minister for the RWC had his way Shed 10 would be gone by lunchtime.)

The Fan Zone needs 6000 square metres of floor space apparently. The two floors in Shed 10, plus the floor area of Shed 11 total 6750 square metres. More than enough. The locations of these sheds is perfect for the two cruise ships that will temporarily park on Queens Wharf, and house 3000 international fans. They can house and store logistics needed for the ships, as well as providing great weather proof environments for fan zone spaces. I guess I should not shed tears for Shed 11. Instead be grateful that Shed 10 has a stay of demolition. It is good that there will be no rush to do Shed 10 up, nor rush to extend it and add hasty adaptations. The opportunity presented by Shed 10 and the rest of Queens Wharf remains, and needs to be protected. Come on Historic Places Trust get that heritage registration finished.