Auckland cafe sees further drop-off in customers after street closure
Photo:
Rose Garratt
An Auckland city cafe owner is worried for his business after the road it sits on was effectively turned into a cul-de-sac.
Hoardings have been placed around the former Fitzroy Hotel in the inner city, as the cracked building is deemed dangerous and unstable.
But it's having a knock on effect on nearby businesses, with footfall down and parking limited.
Nick Worthington owns The Tuesday Cafe, which sits on one of the affected streets.
He told
Checkpoint
he was only first made aware of the hoardings when builders turned up and began erecting them last week.
He said the hoardings were six feet high, and blocked off certain entrances to the back street they were situated on.
"Now that back street hasn't got access for pedestrians to come down off Wakefield St... so you've just got no foot traffic. You've got no passing traffic. No one's coming down the street. If you come into it, you can't get out the street.
"For a cafe it's marginal at the best of times, so it's not ideal."
Worthington said while it was fair to put up the hoardings in order to ensure safety, what came next had been unclear.
"They don't have a plan beyond putting the hoardings up because they think the building is potentially unsafe... I think not having a plan of how this is gonna flow is pretty scary."
The Tuesday Club on the corner of Lyndock Street looking up towards the former Fitzroy Hotel when half of the street was boarded up in 2024.
Photo:
Google Maps
The Tuesday Club consists of three floors of workshops, gallery space and offices, with the cafe the only public fronting space and key point of income for the business.
"The cafe, you know has just been sort of making ends meet... it's been running servicing the building."
Worthington said times had already been challenging, with the street closure now presenting further struggles.
"We've had Covid, we've had major building works down the street, which frequently block off the street, it's been challenging anyway.
"We've been working very, very hard to just, you know, get the people back."
He said they had seen a further drop-off of customers, and they were now forced to think of new ways to attract people.
He started by inviting any council employee to visit for a free coffee and a chat about how the issue could be solved.
The former Fitzroy Hotel in Wakefield Street, Auckland from 1909.
Photo:
E Gilling, Auckland Weekly News
Auckland Council compliance manager Adrian Wilson told
Checkpoint
they had informed businesses in the area prior to the hoardings going up, and had spoken to the affected businesses in the area and provided them with both assistance and guidance on the matter and would continue to do so.
He said the council was currently waiting on the owner of the dangerous building at 75-77 Wakefield Street to conduct the work necessary to remove the danger.
The owner has been asked for confirmation of contractor engagement no later than Friday, 1 August 2025, with physical works to commence no later than Tuesday, 19 August 2025.
The council cannot confirm when the site will be made safe, however once this is confirmed they will review the need for the hoarding.
The former Fitzroy Hotel was built in 1854-55 and is considered the oldest brick building the Auckland's city centre.
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