Details of a council-led review of the Shelly Bay project in Wellington have been released.
An artist's impression of the finished Shelly Bay project. Photo: RNZ /SUPPLIED
The project has been mired in controversy since the outset, with locals opposing the development.
A resource consent for it was quashed by the Court of Appeal at the end of last year. The court found the council had made an error of law in granting the consent, and ordered it be submitted again.
Earlier this year filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson started to accuse the council of dodgy dealings on his open Facebook page, and in letters sent to councillors.
The review to be carried out had been on the cards since 2017, when the council voted to sell and lease the land to the Wellington Company for development.
Shelly Bay was made a special housing area in 2015, which meant applications were fast-tracked, and had to be processed quickly.
The review would look at whether councillors had all the information needed available to them, and whether the correct process was followed under the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act. Whether conflicts of interest had been managed appropriately would also be questioned.
It is expected to cost $180,000 and would also investigate and consider whether the council had properly consulted on the project.
The legal proceedings leading to the resource consent being quashed, and the decision made by independent commissioners on the new consent, would not be part of the investigation.
Officers would begin the review once independent commissioners had finished considering the new resource consent application.
The review will be lead by Mary Scholtens QC.
