THE Star and Wellington rowing clubs believe the Wellington City Council wants them off the Taranaki Wharf site they’ve used for more than 120 years.

A resource consent application to allow a wharenui (Maori meeting house) and "develop public spaces", part of the council’s plans for developing the Taranaki Wharf area, will limit access to the clubs.

Clubs’ spokesman Brent Ashley says the function centres require easy access and are the financial lifeblood of the organisations. Restricting access could lead to the end of rowing as a thriving sport in Wellington.

"The council’s conditions will drive us away" Ashley says.

He believes people who rent the function centre will be deterred from hiring the venue if they are unable to get taxis to and from.

"Have you walked there in a northerly?"

Ian Pike, chief executive of Wellington Waterfront Ltd, says restricting vehicle access is a safety precaution for pedestrians and cyclists. He has offered the rowers early morning and evening access to compensate.

"Cars will detract from the environment we’re trying to create," Pike says.

Despite Ashley’s fears that the club is unwelcome, Pike says it is not the intention to boot the club out.

"They are a fundamental part of the rowing experience. We absolutely want the rowing club there. We do not have the intention of shutting down access so no one can get to the building," Pike says.

The building of the 62.5m by 17m wharenui adjacent to the rowing clubs means a lot to the Tenths Trust.

"We are the tangata whenua," says Tenths Trust spokeperson Liz Mellish. "We have been deprived of the waterfront since 1840, and there is nothing that shows that we lived here."

Pike says the addition of those buildings will appeal to international tourists, who will receive an indigenous experience, as well as to domestic visitors.

The groups expect to hear whether the resource consent application is successful in three weeks time.