Plans to breathe new life into Dunedin's heritage warehouse precinct, involving major changes to the city's one-way street network, are among new and unfunded items back before Dunedin city councillors next week.
Dunedin City Council staff have estimated they need $700,000 over two years, beginning in 2012-13, to carry out investigation and design work associated with the project, followed by an estimated $5 million for construction.
The project appeared on a list of 19 new or unfunded items to be considered by councillors as part of its 2012-13 pre-draft annual and long-term plan process, which begins next week.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull told the Otago Daily Times whether there was room to include them in council budgets over the next few years "depends on where else we can make savings ... or [find] alternative ways of funding them".
Funding arrangements for the new Portobello jetty and Regent Theatre upgrade, both involving council and community funding, showed what could be achieved, he said.
"If we want things earlier than 10 years out, maybe we look at some alternative ways of doing that."
Consideration of the warehouse precinct's future was part of council planning for the future of the city's development to 2050.
That included investigating the removal of State Highway 1 designation from Crawford St, making Cumberland St two-way, and improvements to Queens Gardens, as well as to the warehouse area.
Making Cumberland St two-way south of the Leviathan Hotel would convert the state highway into two lanes in each direction. Crawford St was envisaged as a "calmed" two-way street.
That move would create easier access to the warehouse district from the central city, opening the way for a creative-quarter development.
Council operations general manager Tony Avery said the lists contained estimated costs of funding required, but was not yet in the council's annual plan and would need to be considered alongside other projects and initiatives.
"The council would have to make an explicit decision to put them in, to have them in. They're unfunded."
The list of projects also included $1.5 million a year for work on the southern cycleway and opening the Caversham tunnel to cyclists, beginning in 2018-19, and up to $1 million to replace the St Clair ramp closed late last year after being damaged by pounding seas.
A further $150,000 would be needed for the council's marketing and communications agency, if the city won the right to host matches for the Fifa world under-20 football championships in 2015.
Another $250,000 was needed for a household transport survey, and $60,000 for a public transport cost/benefit study.
The plan to build a new $11.5 million swimming pool at Mosgiel was also on the list, but no estimated funding requirement was detailed, and that was also the case for a new 24-hour public toilet in the Octagon.
All items would be considered as part of the debate over the council's budget, beginning with a non-public workshop for councillors on Monday before two days of public meetings.
One thing was certain. With council finances remaining tight, there would not be room for them all in the annual budget, meaning they would have to be staggered.
"That would be the case, whether you're a business or a family or the council," Mr Cull said.
