The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board proposes to spend $1.2 million planning a $120 to $150m redevelopment of Nelson Hospital.
Planning is estimated to take two years and it would be another four to five years before construction begins on the multi-million dollar improvements.
Increasing demands on hospital services due to the region’s aging and growing population, the need for more hospital beds and improving the buildings earthquake standards are some of the reasons for the proposed redevelopment.
NMDHB chief executive Chris Fleming said four business cases for the redevelopment would be developed over the next two years to cover strategic, commercial and financial considerations.
Fleming estimated the hospital redevelopment would cost between $120m and $150m and take between two to three years to complete.
The last major rebuilding project at Nelson Hospital was finished in 2003 at a cost of $35.5m and was seen as stage one of hospital redevelopment. It included the new in-patient building with a 14-bed maternity unit, 30-bed medical unit and 12-bed pediatrics inpatient unit.
In 2010, the second stage was estimated to cost $55m with a plan to add as many as 75 more beds over 15 years, possibly including a six-storey building with underground car park which did not go ahead due to costs.
(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday, April 6th, 2016)
Buyers from Auckland are helping drive property prices in the Nelson region.
Nelson region real estate agents say they have noticed an increase in Auckland inquiries and buyers, adding to Nelson’s already pumping property market.
A four-bedroom, one-bathroom old character home, with a garage on St Vincent St, was recently sold to Auckland buyers for $445,000 — more than $100,000 over its last capital valuation (CV).
Another property in Victory Square had more than 200 people view the property in 10 days. In that case the majority of those looking were from Nelson.
Summit, Bayleys and Ray White real estate agents had all noticed a trend in Auckland buyers, particularly since January 2016, around the region.
The drive meant first-home owners were faced with higher property prices and a lack of buying options.
Ray White Nelson co-owner Grant Chaney said previous trends in the Nelson market typically involved mainly local buyers with Christchurch purchasers making up 10 to 20 per cent.
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) Nelson region spokesperson Darryl Marshall said Auckland buyers were on the rise and purchasing properties at $500,000 and under.
Despite the trend with most agents, Haven Realty agent Jeff Rackley said its primary property purchasers were from Nelson.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, April 7th, 2016)
A strong housing market in the Nelson region is forcing buyers into bidding wars, according to the agents.
Latest QV statistics show Nelson homes have risen 4.3 per cent in the past three months with the average house cost in the city currently priced at $446,860.
Tasman homes have also increased with the average value at $441,024 up 1.1 per cent in the past three months.
QV Nelson registered valuer Craig Russell said the nature of the Nelson-Tasman market meant homes were being snapped up quickly.
“A number of agents have switched to no-price marketing which is another indication of a strong market given purchasers can be forced into a bidding war”, he said.
QV Facts
Nelson home values have increased by 8.9 per cent in the past 12 months, Tasman values increased by 5.1 per cent.
Since the 2007 peak market home values have increased in Nelson by 16.7 per cent and 9.8 per cent in the Tasman region.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, April 7th, 2016)
Nelson’s largest video rental store is moving out and a TAB is looking to move in.
The United Video store on Vanguard St will relocate to the Bed, Bath & Beyond on Trafalgar St on May 2 as the business owners’ lease on the property approaches expiry.
An application from the New Zealand Racing Board to establish a TAB and a non-casino venue with nine pokie machines on the Vanguard St site is currently being considered by Nelson City Council.
Council’s group manager of community services Chris Ward said there were no applications for a liquor licence for the property.
Ward said council would have ‘‘no reason to decline the (New Zealand Racing Board’s) application’’ provided it meets criteria set out in the council’s 2013 gambling policy.
The policy dictates, among other requirements, that pokies cannot be within 100 metres of a playground, school, preschool, kindergarten, place of worship or ATM.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday, April 9th, 2016)
Under a new funding model for the proposed Waimea dam, the project would be ‘‘extremely unaffordable’’ for many landholders on the plains, says Waimea Irrigators and Water Users Inc consultant Brian Halstead.
A Tasman District Council model for the proposed dam in the Lee Valley was released last week.
It puts the funding required to be raised by irrigators at $41 million, more than double the $20m indicated in a funding model released by irrigator group Waimea Community Dam Ltd (WCDL) late last year.
The council’s model also suggests annual operating and finance costs could be as high as $894 per hectare on day one – well above the $450 annual per hectare cost in the WCDL document.
One of the main differences between the two plans is that the council’s model puts the cost of the extra capacity in the proposed dam on to irrigators.
‘‘(Under the council model) current irrigators now have to pay for future irrigators, an extra 3150ha up from the original 2700ha already committed,’’ Halstead said.
Waimea Irrigators and Water Users Inc had about 30 members. They were smaller irrigators who were ‘‘hotly against having to pay upfront for future irrigators and have always maintained the dam was too big and unaffordable’’.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday, April 9th, 2016)
Nobody can go back and start
a new beginning,
but anyone can start today
and make a new ending.
— Maria Robinson