Wellington City Council has announced the closure of an area of Council owned land at Shelly Bay from 6pm today (17
November) under the Council’s Public Places bylaw in order to manage the health and safety risks posed by the site. This
includes unsafe levels of asbestos contamination in the buildings and soil on the Council’s land.
Council officers met with Mau Whenua representatives on 16 November which included an offer of an alternative location
on public land at Shelly Bay, as a result of the closure.
The Council’s priority is to ensure people are protected from health and safety risks on public land at Shelly Bay. This
includes being able to control and monitor access to certain public areas at Shelly Bay which may pose a risk to members
of the public. We will also move to demolish the affected buildings as soon as possible
The latest asbestos report shows unsafe levels of asbestos in the soil surrounding Council’s buildings, which is likely
to spread further as the buildings continue to deteriorate.
The Council closed these buildings in 2020. In recent months we have become aware that the buildings have been
repeatedly accessed and interfered with. We have taken all practicable measures to ensure further access is prohibited
including resecuring the buildings, putting up warning signs and reminding occupiers of the safety risks associated with
the buildings. These efforts have been unsuccessful as there is evidence the buildings are still being accessed. The
interference with the buildings has increased the risks associated with asbestos contamination and contributed to the
Council’s decision to close the area.
The Council owned land in question is highlighted in the attached map. The Council’s closure of its land does not affect
any of the privately owned land at Shelly Bay including the Chocolate Fish café and car park.