Park planned for peninsula
The announcement of a regional park above the hotly-debated Shelly Bay site is just months away, Wellington’s under-fire mayor says.
Justin Lester, who has been heavily criticised by film-maker Sir Peter Jackson over Wellington City Council’s handling of the $500 million Shelly Bay development, announced yesterday that Watts Peninsula will become a massive regional park. It will include a likely sculpture park, with walking and mountain-bike tracks.
The park, on Crown land currently administered by Land Information New Zealand (Linz), will cover 72.7 hectares north of the former Mt Crawford prison. The ‘‘recreation park and reserve’’ will be jointly managed by Department of Conservation (DOC) and the city council.
The council will provide an initial $2m to upgrade the area, and then $750,000 a year to manage it.
It was anticipated the May Budget would announce the transfer of the former Defence Force land to DOC and the council, Lester said.
‘‘Wellington City Council’s ambition is to create a distinctive national destination that combines the natural environment with venues for the celebration and enjoyment of heritage, recreation, culture and the arts.’’
The idea was first put forward in 2011. However, in 2016 the Government indicated it might sell the block of land off for potential housing, even if a public park remained in the mix.
But yesterday, Lester said that within two to three months, Linz would be in a position to confirm a regional park at the site.
Nobody had foreseen the process taking so long, he said.
‘‘Everything not on prison land will become a regional park.’’
Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, which already owns Shelly Bay, has first right of refusal of the prison land and already has housing plans there.
Former Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown, who was in charge when the idea was first
floated in 2011, was ‘‘delighted’’ the area would become accessible to the public.
In 2011, Wellington was yet to commit to becoming predatorfree but now that had happened, the area could become home to ka¯ka¯riki as well as other native birds and lizards.
But there was still much to do – not just in making the area accessible but in removing weeds and planting of natives.
She hoped the area’s military history, such as wartime gun emplacements, could be preserved.
Lester confirmed military sites would be preserved and the entire Miramar peninsula would become predator-free. It would take decades to remove all weeds but that would happen, he said.
Watts Peninsula Coalition convenor Colin Ryder said it was an announcement eight years in the making. The area had a strong military history – such as Forts Ballance and Dorset – as well as Ma¯ori pa and a strong natural element.
While the reserve relied on Budget funding, he said council staff were working under the assumption it would happen.