Shelly Bay one step closer to Sausalito

Plans for a revamp of Shelly Bay could be given a new lease of life after a developer reached a deal with Wellington City Council.

Ian Cassels, director of The Wellington Company, has been working on a plan for the coastal suburb, which has been likened to San Francisco’s seaside town of Sausalito.

The rundown wharf and derelict air force and naval buildings on the Miramar Peninsula would be replaced with a new seaside community.

It is understood Cassels is in the process of buying the council’s land at Shelly Bay, which will allow him to proceed with his plans.

While Cassels would only say he was in negotiations, council chief city planner David Chick confirmed an agreement had been reached for Cassels to buy the council land.

The council was working through what a partnership model might look like, he added. ’’The idea is for a partnership model, where the council land, iwi land and private land come together to create a better outcome,’’ Chick said.

‘‘I think that we can have a housing outcome and rich layers of different experiences that people will come to see.’’

Wellington City Council voted in October to expand a previouslyestablished special housing area around Shelly Bay. It means the area is part of the Wellington housing accord, which allows for fast-tracked resource consents, with no public notification and limited appeal rights.

Resource consent applications for qualifying developments must be lodged by September when the special housing areas lapse, so a decision was imminent, Chick said.

There were still some decisions on the ‘‘look and feel’’ of a final plan, but Chick believed the council would like to see it aligned with the developer’s masterplan.

In the meantime, an important step was an agreement between Cassels and iwi, he said. In December, The Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust announced

"The idea is for a partnership model, where the council land, iwi land and private land come together to create a better outcome." Wellington City Counil council chief city planner David Chick

it wanted to sell its Shelly Bay land to The Wellington Company, but the trust failed to get the 75 per cent mandate needed from members of Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o te Ika to enable the purchase.

Chick was aware that Sir Peter Jackson was also in discussions with iwi about developing Matiu/Somes Island and the council was bringing the relevant people together for conversations.

‘‘Could you imagine having a ferry connection from Somes Island to Shelly Bay and how rich it could be from a tourism and culture perspective?’’

Council city shaper manager Ian Pike said a sale transaction with The Wellington Company was not yet complete and commercial terms were being discussed.

‘‘Hopefully, we will reach a satisfactory conclusion and bring it to council before the end of the year.’’