Silo 6 accessible for all

14 July 2025

Wynyard Quarter
News
Urban regeneration

Wynyard Quarter — a popular and growing neighbourhood — is a great example of how urban regeneration can breathe new life into historically significant locations.

With thoughtful planning, we can preserve the history of a place while making it possible for more people to live, visit or do business there.

We began this series by looking at how the renewals programme helps care for council assets, so they remain resilient and functional. This time, we focus on what it takes to make an asset accessible to everyone.

Wynyard Quarter is home to Silo 6 — an impressive cluster of six concrete silos. They were originally used as a holding bay for cement unloaded from ships and awaiting transport across the country.

The silos were built in 1961 by A & G Price, a leading New Zealand heavy engineering firm with a foundry based in Thames. The company has been manufacturing quality iron, steel, and brass products since it was established in 1871.

Today, the interiors of these same silos have been reimagined into an inclusive space that hosts art exhibitions, community events, filming, and more.

For several years, an external lift helped people with mobility needs reach the event space — until persistent faults led to its decommissioning in 2020. Determined to ensure Silo 6 remained accessible to all, we installed a temporary wooden ramp while a permanent fix was planned.

After carefully considering the options, a long-term solution was found: a new user-operated chair lift was installed alongside a new ramp. These upgrades mean that everyone — regardless of mobility — can continue to enjoy all that this much-loved venue has to offer.