New development could be on the way for Wellington’s Shelly Bay, with billionaire film-maker Sir Peter Jackson planning to create a museum and exhibition space, as well as residential accommodation in a historic building.

Two years after snapping up the prime seaside land to protect it from being turned into a major housing development, Jackson and partner Dame Fran Walsh have sought consent to develop part of the site.

A resource consent application to Wellington City Council, seen by the Herald, details Jackson’s plans for the existing officers’ mess building, which it describes as “in a terrible state of disrepair”.

Sir Peter Jackson wants to restore and expand the officers’ mess building in Shelly Bay, Miramar, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

It would involve the building being restored and expanded with “a small addition”.

Jackson had previously considered building his long-planned movie museum in Shelly Bay, but the idea fell through.

In 2023, Jackson and Walsh bought the land at Shelly Bay to stop a $500 million housing development and restore its natural beauty.

The development, which pitched 350 new homes, became one of the capital’s most contentious issues, dividing an iwi and being marred by legal challenges and disputes for a number of years.

An artist's impression of the original proposed development at Shelly Bay. Image / Supplied

The land was occupied for 525 days by Mau Whenua, a faction of Taranaki Whānui who disagreed with the sale of the land.

The group claimed the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust (PNBST) went against the will of its own people when it sold its land at Shelly Bay for development and that the deal was done in secret.

The situation reached a tipping point following two notices for Mau Whenua to vacate the land after occupying it for a year.

In May 2022, the occupation came to an end.

The development was eventually canned by developer Ian Cassels, who said the situation had become an “incredibly challenging project on multiple fronts”.

Jackson and Walsh met with Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau in October 2023 to discuss their plans for development at Shelly Bay.

Scenes for most of Jackson’s movies have been filmed at the seaside location and the wider area provided the backdrop for his 2005 version of King Kong.

The consent documents said the building in its current state “significantly detracts from Shelly Bay and the ‘site and area of significance to Māori’”.

“The officers’ mess building has been unoccupied for at least the last 10 years and has fallen into significant disrepair. The applicant’s preference is to retain and repurpose the building rather than demolish it” the consent document prepared by Peter Coop Consultancy states.

A development proposed by Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh aims to enhance the amenity of a site in Shelly Bay. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Consultation with mana whenua over the restoration job was under way, the documents said, adding the applicant “will forward any response received”.

It said the work would “enhance the amenity of this part of Shelly Bay, including the area of significance to Māori”.

The application also stated the proposed residential units would bring “much needed surveillance, particularly during the evening and night”.

Representatives for Jackson did not respond to requests for comment from the Herald.

It follows revelations Jackson and Walsh spent $105m buying a large piece of land near the city’s airport in Lyall Bay last year, in what was described at the time as the year’s biggest land deal.

There has been speculation that site could be the new location for Jackson’s movie museum.

The couple have never publicly commented on their plans for the site.

A previous plan for the museum to be built as part of the city’s new convention and exhibition centre Tākina provides a glimpse into what such a project could bring to Wellington.

Ethan Manera is New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at [email protected].