Wellington businesses have joined in opposition to the proposed Golden Mile revitalisation, as part of the $7.4b Let's Get Wellington Moving project.
A meeting organised for business leaders, retail, hospitality and property owners on Thursday night was standing room only, as a number of those present raised concerns.
Thorndon Residents' Association chair Richard Murcott says "the consultation process has been so poor, and yet this is absolutely critical to all of us living in the city".
Karl Tiefenbacher, who owns Kaffee EIs in the capital added that "if this goes ahead, Wellington's not going to be somewhere we'll want to live".
Business owner Nicola Cranfields is concerned that closing off side street access to the likes of Courtenay Place and Lambton Quay, which is proposed under the current plan, will lead to safety issues with deliveries.
"We're asking truck drivers all the time who are bringing us deliveries (whether they could handle a turn-circle solution), and they're really challenging the assumption that their ten-tonne truck can use a turn-circle safely. They think they will have to reverse out of the road, which to me sounds incredibly dangerous."
Olivia Amoah, who runs Lazule Jewelry store on Wellington's Cuba Street says Wellington is losing it's spark, and risks not drawing new businesses in.
"The council relies on people like us to bring people to the city, keep it vibrant, keep it exciting, but that is all going to go. There's not going to be anything left for people to come to."
Thomas Nash, who chairs the Transport Group for Greater Wellington Regional Council, who are partnered with Wellington City Council, and Waka Kotahi to deliver Let's Get Wellington Moving, accepts construction will bring disruption for businesses, but that ultimately the benefits for retail and other businesses will come through.
He says "every successful city in Australasia and in the world" has similar CBD layouts as what is proposed for Wellington's Golden Mile, which runs from Parliament on one end of Lambton Quay, to the end of Courtenay Place.
"The evidence from every other city where this has been done is this is good for retail as well as being good for people, so we're very confident that will be the case in Wellington."
He also points to previous consultation opportunities with the public for the project as giving them a mandate to deliver the transformational change.
But businesses say that as a key stakeholder in this process, they've not been consulted well enough.
Retail NZ, who co-organised the business event on Thursday, have also conducted their own survey of retail, hospitality and 'close contact' businesses who they say would be impacted by the Golden Mile Revitalisation project.
It showed 28% of businesses saying they'd have to close their doors for good, while 25% would look to move their businesses out of Wellington's CBD. A further 25% says they'd likely need to force staff redundancies, while 9% thought they'd need to reduce their hours.
Speaking on behalf of Retail NZ, Aimie Haines told business owners that this was more than what is often painted out as an anti-cycleway, or anti-bike agenda.
"You're all passionate business owners who love what you do for Wellington. This is about what's right for Wellington, and fundamentally there is too much at stake right now (to go ahead with the project)."
A crucial vote is set to take place at Wellington City Council next Thursday, including a motion of no confidence in the project, which currently has support from seven of the sixteen voting members on council.
Thomas Nash is hoping the vote can carry, because a significant amount of work has already been completed.
"We've been consulting on this specifically for 4 years, so it's a milestone next week and we really hope there will be support around the table to move forward."
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