The best KiwiBuild view in NZ?
KiwiBuild has confirmed it is interested in two ‘‘pockets’’ of prime real estate atop Wellington’s Watts Peninsula.
The two pieces of land, which total 3.3 hectares, straddle either side of the decommissioned Mt Crawford Prison.
A spokesperson confirmed KiwiBuild had signalled its interest in the spots, on the northern end of the Miramar peninsula, to Land Information NZ (Linz).
‘‘It’s a simple yes, we’re interested, and Linz – who are going through the disposal process – are aware of our interest.’’
The four-stage process was currently in stage one, which included giving iwi preliminary notice regarding the disposal of the land. It also involved Linz seeking advice from the Department of Conservation (DOC), Heritage NZ, Housing NZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
DOC was to offer help regarding assessing conservation values, Heritage NZ for heritage values, and Housing NZ and MBIE for the site’s housing potential.
Enterprise Miramar board chairman Thomas Wutzler said his organisation was keen to see positive developments in the area ‘‘in keeping with the nature and history of the peninsula’’.
‘‘However, we are concerned that there appears to be no overall coherent plan for the development of the peninsula which considers all related aspects of any development, such as infrastructure and transport issues, and on which affected parties have been consulted.’’
Linz deputy chief executive of Crown property, Jerome Sheppard, confirmed the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees KiwiBuild, had signalled interest in the land on Watts Peninsula.
However, he said the disposal process was still in the ‘‘very early stages’’ and no decisions had been made about its future.
Stuff approached DOC, Housing NZ, Heritage NZ, MBIE, iwi group Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust and Wellington City Council (WCC) regarding the two pieces of land.
Housing NZ said it was not currently looking at developing the land for state housing purposes, and a WCC spokesperson said the council was not interested in it for council housing.
Heritage NZ said it had been assessing the heritage values of various parts of the former Defence and Corrections land and providing advice to Linz. Its spokesperson said there was known archaeological potential in the area.
‘‘We are getting closer to narrowing down which part is appropriate to protect through a heritage covenant.’’
DOC said a collaborative approach was being taken by Crown agencies, WCC and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust.