Consent granted for bus depot on prime waterfront land near Shelly Bay

The bus depot is planned down the road from Shelly Bay. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Consent has been granted for a bus depot with space for up to 120 buses on prime waterfront real estate in Wellington.

The land is on a narrow coastal road popular with cyclists and near the intersection of Shelly Bay Rd and the cutting through to Miramar.

If NZ Bus were to go ahead with the build, conditions of the consent mean the company would have to pay for traffic lights at the busy intersection, have an evacuation plan in case there is a tsunami, and engage experts to protect nearby Pōhutukawa trees.

Staff would have to park on-site or be shuttled to other parking to avoid cars clogging the side of the road.

NZ Bus chief operating officer Stephen McKeefry said the company was in discussions with multiple stakeholders about bus depot locations in Wellington.

“It would not be appropriate to disclose future site development plans at this stage due to ongoing conversations currently underway.

“Capital investment required to establish new facilities and maintain our existing footprint across New Zealand is considerable therefore we regularly assess our property portfolio to ensure that we future-proof our ability to operate fit-for-purpose depots that can house diesel and increasingly electric buses.”

The location of the proposed depot is just down the road from the controversial $500m housing development at Shelly Bay.

One of the most contentious issues has been how the road will stand up to climate change and handle the extra traffic from the housing development, let alone 120 buses.

Friends of Miramar Peninsula spokesperson Mary Varnham said it was an inappropriate place for a bus depot and a “great big waste” of waterfront land.

“People in Miramar are pretty upset already about how long it can often take to get through that cutting with traffic.”

Cycle Wellington spokesman Patrick Morgan said the depot would create a new hazard on a route used for recreation by walkers, runners, and cyclists.

“Adding bus movements further degrades what is one of the jewels in Wellington’s crown which is unbroken public access to the waterfront.”

NZ Bus has been on the hunt for a new home for part of its fleet after Infratil sold the Kilbirnie depot for $35 million.

Infratil used to own NZ Bus and sold it to Next Capital in 2019 but the land in Kilbirnie was not part of the deal, leaving the operator caught short. NZ Bus has subsequently been sold to Kinetic.

Meanwhile, Greater Wellington Regional Council has signed a long-term lease with Wellington Airport to secure nearly two hectares of land in Rongotai for a bus depot owned and operated by Metlink.

Regional council chairman Daran Ponter said this was to avoid similar situations to the one NZ Bus is in.

“They have effectively been left high and dry.”

Ideally, NZ Bus would be able to go straight from their current premises to the Metlink one but it will not be ready for two to three years, Ponter said.

The regional council will make the use of the Metlink facility a requirement in future tenders for bus routes, he said.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.