The Hands off Harrop group is ‘‘appalled'' the Dunedin City Council has decided to go ahead with the atrium on the side of the town hall in Harrop St.
Group spokeswoman Dunedin lawyer Judith Medlicott yesterday lambasted councillors for Monday's decision to back a controversial $45.14 million redevelopment of the town hall and the Dunedin Centre, which includes the controversial Harrop St atrium.
‘‘They clearly were not listening. They have blinkers on. They are not looking at the space at all. They can't see what is there and what is precious.''
The Hands off Harrop group was formed last April in an effort to protect the street from development that would change its ‘‘streetscape''.
Ms Medlicott, who described the atrium as a ‘‘monstrous edifice'', was unimpressed with council staff assurances that pedestrians in Moray Pl would still be able to see the spire of First Church with the atrium in place.
‘‘That is only part of the ambience,'' she said. ‘‘Are we supposed to peer through two layers of glass?''
The group is in the process of becoming incorporated, which it believes will help give it ‘‘status'' if the proposal ‘‘survives'' annual plan hearings and proceeds to resource consent.
It also plans to ask the council for permission to set up street stalls to collect signatures from people who object to the redevelopment.
Ms Medlicott said they would fight the proposal all the way. ‘‘Perhaps they feel that with an open chequebook we'll be bullied and frightened off. But we won't let that happen.''
Dunedin Public Libraries Association president Merle van de Klundert said she was appalled the council was spending such a large amount of money on the town hall.
The library was one of the most important assets a city could have, yet the council was putting money into the town hall, and ignoring the library.
The council could easily upgrade the library, which had a dated 1960s look, and build a South Dunedin library for a fraction of what it was spending on the redevelopment of the town hall.
