What’s up with Watts?
The Government has confirmed it may sell a Wellington peninsula once earmarked as a 76-hectare reserve.
The Cabinet last week signed off on Land Information New Zealand (Linz) taking over ownership of Watts Peninsula in Miramar from the Defence Force.
Land Information Minister Louise Upston said ‘‘no decisions’’ had been made on the future of the peninsula.
‘‘Housing is an option and so is a sale. Along with a number of other options, including the one I mentioned which was a park. No decisions have been made,’’ according to an emailed statement from her office.
In 2011, then Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson said the peninsula would be protected as a reserve – ruling out the possibility of it being used for housing.
‘‘The national interest trumped the interest of developers. This is a hugely significant site and to allow it to be flogged off as sections would have been a tragedy.’’
A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2014 between Wellington City Council, the Crown and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust to look at the future of the peninsula.
Finlayson was there, with thenMayor Celia Wade-Brown and Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust chairman Neville Baker, as they talked of the site becoming a haven for native wildlife, as well as for hikers, mountain-bikers and history buffs.
Watts Peninsula Coalition convenor Colin Ryder said he had spent about three years being ‘‘fobbed off’’ by the Government before finally, last month, getting confirmation that responsibility for the site was getting transferred to Linz.
‘‘If [the peninsula] was staying in Crown ownership, I couldn’t see why Linz would be involved.’’
While he found a small-scale development near the former prison acceptable – assuming such a project was to fund work for a public park – this appeared to be on a much larger scale.
If the land was sold, first right of refusal would go to the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, he said. If the trust opted out, the land would go on the open market.
His coalition was concerned that plans appeared to be ‘‘focused only on large-scale housing developments, which would see historic sites destroyed and significant limits on any future recreational or environmental opportunities in the area’’.
On Friday, he received an email from Linz, saying timing for the transfer of ownership from the Defence Force had yet to be confirmed.
‘‘We recognise the site’s rich national history, including military forts and archaeological discoveries of Maori and early settler life and we’ll be exploring options to establish a reserve at Watts Peninsula,’’ Crown property manager Margaret Kennedy said.
Rongotai MP Annette King said the fact ownership had been passed to Linz ‘‘seems to be a backtrack’’ from the Government’s last comment on the site, prior to the 2014 general election.
‘‘People have been fairly relaxed about what is happening there because of what was said [by Finlayson].’’
Fort Ballance, part of the land in question, was built in 1885 amid fears of an impending war with Russia. Parts of the site are listed as a Category 1 historic place.
The peninsula is also the location of extensive and culturally sensitive pre-1840 Maori settlements, as well as World War II gun emplacements.
The land’s southern boundary is north of Shelly Bay and the former Wellington prison before reaching east to south of Fort Ballance. Massey Memorial, at the peninsula’s north tip, is excluded.
A Linz spokeswoman said it took over the site ‘‘because of our expertise in managing Crown property’’.
‘‘We manage two million hectares across New Zealand. We also have the processes in place to do this work under relevant legislation.’’