Bay Drive FAQs

The land consists of a total of 7747m2 made up of the Cable House (21 Bay Drive on 506m2), a three-bedroom house and a large section of flat land overlooking Titahi Bay beach (19 Bay Drive on 7,241m2).

Council purchased 21 Bay Drive in 2008 and 19 Bay Drive in October 2012, and paid $630,000 for 21 Bay Drive and $2.55 Million for 19 Bay Drive.

The report that Council considered in 2012 when purchasing 19 Bay Drive concluded that this was “a strategic property purchase which will add to the green space network, provide additional access to the coast, and unlock its potential to become a visitor destination in Porirua in the future.” 

The report stated: “It is envisaged that the land will become part of the redevelopment of the Titahi Bay beach area (in line with the Titahi Bay Beach Reserves Management Plan and in consultation with the community), and that consideration may be given to at least partial development of the site so as to reduce the financial impact of the purchase.” You can see the full report.

Neither building is listed in the District Plan as a heritage building.

Currently the land is not open for public use. We’d like to make it accessible for everyone to enjoy. However, a lot of work needs to be done to make sure it is safe and accessible. Before we do any work we wanted to get a steer from the community about a set of principles to give the Council direction when deciding on how to proceed.

• The land is open for the community to use.
• Protection of the environment and the ecology is important.
• The cultural heritage and history of the site is acknowledged.
• There is good access for all so everyone can enjoy the spaces.
• People want to come here – Titahi Bay is a destination of choice.
• The community has a say in what will happen with this land.

We also wanted feedback on the principle of cost neutrality and whether the community agrees with allowing private-sector development to occur on part of the site to keep any rates contributions down. 

We wanted to see what guiding principles the community would like Council to consider in any future development plans. Consulting on these principles was a first step. 

We’ve been talking to Ngāti Toa about the land and will be sharing community feedback with them. Ngāti Toa is interested in what happens on this land because of its close proximity to Mana Island and because of the historic significance of Titahi Bay. 

Last year Councillors asked for some concept ideas so they could see what was possible on the site and what would be required to make the development cost neutral. Some concept options were developed and presented at a workshop with Councillors who then said they wanted to consult with the community on principals, including cost neutrality, before going any further.

So, we are now talking to the community to get a sense of what you would like to see at 19 and 21 Bay Drive.

The ideas that have been looked at so far are only concepts and are in no way what is being proposed for the site.

Cost neutrality is a principle that would result in any development at the site not costing Council and ratepayers additional money as there is currently no funding in the Long-Term Plan for this development.

If people are open to the idea of cost neutrality it would enable Council to look at private sector development to occur on part of the site, which would help fund the public sector improvements, and could be further offset by government grants or funding.

If people aren’t open to the concept of cost neutrality, we’re keen to hear that too. 

We will present this feedback to Council to confirm the next steps and we will keep you posted.

The feedback period has closed.