Frustrated Half Moon Bay residents have been assured development at the busy marine hub will go ahead despite funding being pushed out by at least a year.

Auckland Transport staff fronted up at the Half Moon Bay Residents and Ratepayers meeting last week to present the latest design for the redevelopment project.

An earlier plan was shot down by the harbourmaster because of the potential for commercial and recreational vessels to clash.

Auckland Transport planner Dave Wilkie is the `face' of the development and told the 109 who attended the meeting the new plan had been devised after multiple meetings with many stakeholder groups.

Balancing the needs of recreational and commercial users of the area is a tricky business.

At the moment things are not ideal for either party.

The 700 daily commuters who ferry into the city have to battle it out for limited car parks and wait for ferries out in the open. Recreational boaties also have to vie for limited parking spaces at what is Auckland's only free launching ramps.

The port also services Waiheke Island.

Mr Wilkie said the newest plan is best suited to cope with all the demands of the various users.

"That option is the best based on consultation with the harbourmaster. We've also discussed it with SeaLink and it was their preference too. The passenger companies had some concerns about the passenger berth facing west but our wave analysis shows we can mitigate weather factors. It's also the best value for money."

He said the plan was an initial stage and there was more work to be done in coming months.

"We're comfortable with where we've got to but we haven't got every crease ironed out.

"We know we need to do more work about how we stage this scheme."

Mr Wilkie says simply adding more car parking would not solve the issues at Half Moon Bay.

A parking management system which could involve charging for parks would be trialled.

A multi-storey car park was not a priority for Auckland Transport but the infrastructure would be able to accommodate it in future.

The response to the presentation was varied. Some recreational boaties said there was too strong a bias towards commercial operators and not enough provision for those who use their own boats.

One person who spoke out said the character of the place was based on recreational boaties and the plan "suppressed" their needs.

On the deferral of construction funds to the 2013/2014 year, rail and ferry project director Nick Seymour said because the project is not ready for the money yet it couldn't just be held on to.

But he said Auckland Transport was dedicated to the job.

"We believe it is the time for action, if it's not done now we'll lose the opportunity."

- © Fairfax NZ News