Strong support has been shown for moving Te Uaka Lyttelton Museum to the long vacant wool store building at Te Ana Marina.

Former long time Lyttelton resident Dudley Jackson sparked a discussion over the idea on social media. He also suggested the Tug Lyttelton be moored to the wharf and a cafe established on the waterfront.

“I thought, ‘wow, that would be such an attraction wouldn’t it?’” he said.

He said the post was more to start a conversation about the empty building rather than the museum.

Said Jackson: “Hey LPC, have you forgotten about this? We all get busy, but have you realised it’s been eight years?”

He anticipated people explaining the reasons why it cannot be done. To his surprise it has been widely supported.

The majority of the comments were in favour of the idea.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer, it’s such a great little spot down there,” he said.

Jackson has not contacted either party about the idea.

The building was converted from a former wool store in 2018 as part of Lyttelton Port Company’s Te Ana Marina development. It was intended to house retail and hospitality businesses but has remained vacant.

Lyttelton Port Company chief customer and supply chain officer Simon Munt said the company remained supportive of the museum project.

“Lyttelton Port Company has been a long-standing supporter of the Lyttelton Museum project, contributing $150,000 towards its development.

“We have had discussions with the museum regarding the wool store building in the past. LPC continues to consider future long-term options for the Te Ana Precinct, and our master planning process will encompass this. In the meantime we will continue to use the wool store facility for temporary events and uses as required.”

The refurbished building had previously attracted the attention of developer Peebles Group, which planned to transform it into a “vibrant” retail and hospitality hub.

However, those plans were abandoned because of the impact of Covid-19 on the retail and hospitality sector.

Te Uaka Lyttelton Museum did not respond to questions before deadline.