As home ownership becomes less affordable the demand for rental properties in Nelson-Tasman has hit an all time high.
The housing shortage in Nelson-Tasman has seen the number of available rental properties plummet to “extreme lows”, experts say.
Rising house prices across the region were pushing more people into the rental market where previously they might have been able to buy in the low to median price band.
Properties were selling so quickly that owners were renting as they hadn’t had the chance to buy again.
Trade Me Property data showed that rental listings in Nelson had dropped 26 per cent in the year to July and 11 per cent in Tasman.
(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016)
The two-year wait for construction on the Nelson School of Music revamp is finally over.
In December 2013 the historic auditorium was abruptly closed when an assessment saw it classified as an earthquake prone building. The closure brought forward planned strengthening work and signalled the start of a multimillion dollar fundraising effort.
The community has played a big part in that effort to restore the 115-year-old building, helping raise between $800-900,000 of the $6.4 million redevelopment budget.
Yesterday, Nelson School of Music Trust and Coman Construction signed the contract to begin work next month.
The revamp will involve; earthquake strengthening of the existing auditorium, tiered seating rows at the rear of the auditorium to fit a crowd of 301 people, as well as other comfortable seating throughout the venue and improved heating and cooling systems.
(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016)
A new water scheme has been unveiled as a much cheaper alternative to the proposed $82.5 million Waimea dam in the Lee Valley.
Proposed by a group of irrigators from Waimea Irrigators and Waters Users Inc, the scheme involves a series of clay-lined, inground reservoirs to be filled during winter months.
Spokesman for the group, consultant Brian Halstead, said preliminary costings had come in at $25m for the proposed scheme’s three reservoirs – one each side of the Wairoa River just below the Waimea East Irrigation Scheme intake off Clover Road East and the third along the Waimea River at Challies Island.
There would also be the cost of land purchases for the sites near Clover Road East; Challies Island was already owned by the council. It was proposed the scheme would cover about 75ha over the three blocks. The reservoirs would be about 7m deep. ‘‘Preliminary estimates suggest a storage capacity of 5 million to 6 million cubic metres,’’ Halstead said.
While that was less than half of the storage tipped for the proposed Waimea dam, it would ‘‘better serve the community and irrigators as a shorter-term measure at a fraction of the cost’’.
Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne said the council would welcome the chance to have a look at the concept while mayoral candidate Maxwell Clark said it sounded like an ‘‘excellent scheme’’ that was worth investigation.
However, the third mayoral aspirant, Kit Maling, said it did not sound as if the reservoir plan would provide enough water. He said he would look at any proposal but did not want to delay the process for the proposed dam. Securing a financial contribution from the Government was key and the government could change next year.
‘‘We’ve got one chance to build this dam,’’ he said.
(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016)
Keeping Wainui Bay as a primary spat catching area is crucial to the viability of the New Zealand aquaculture industry, mussel industry leaders say.
The Wainui Bay Spat Catching Group is seeking certainty for the future of the industry and has asked for a plan change to ensure mussel spat catching and holding can continue in the bay once the current plan period ends in 2024.
However, some residents oppose the change citing noise, lighting and environmental impacts.
The spat catching operation has existed for more than 35 years. Wainui is the highest contributing greenshell mussel spat catching site in New Zealand, providing up to a quarter of the national supply.
No new water space was being sought by the group, but it proposed rezoning the spat catching sites to a newly created zone – Aquaculture Management Area (AMA) 4-Wainui.
A Tasman District Council panel hearing into the plan change proposal was held at the Takaka Fire Station on Monday.
Of the 19 submissions received only two supported the plan change outright. Those speaking against the plan change were largely split between keeping the discretionary activity status and requesting a larger level of environmental responsibility from aquaculture operators.
(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday, August 24th, 2016)
A hot housing market sees auctions on the rise.
Sellers are being advised to leave asking prices off their house listings and let buyers duke it out in Nelson-Tasman’s competitive property market.
Real estate agents said the trend towards no-price marketing – auctions, tenders, deadline sales – began 12-18 months ago when the region’s housing market swung in favour of sellers.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, August 25th, 2016)
The Fringed Hill gondola project has moved a step closer with a council committee recommending the release of $50,000 towards the project’s initial feasibility study.
The Nelson City Council governance committee unanimously voted to recommend the council release part of the previously $100,000 budgeted funds from the annual plan to develop the next stage of the business case, but voiced concerns about elements of the project.
Deputy mayor Paul Matheson said the project, being developed by the Nelson Cycle Lift Society (NCLS), had ‘‘gone cold’’ on the council’s table and raised concerns about how much was being asked of the council in terms of moving the gondola into its next development stage.
NCC community services group manager Chris Ward said once the project was approved through the annual plan, $50,000 would be made available to the NCLS. This would allow the organisation to further development a business case that outlined the economic contribution of a gondola to mountainbiking and the city.
‘‘What council was trying to achieve through the annual plan was to really get the project to a stage where people could make decisions on whether it actually should progress or not.’’
Ward said if there was any indication during the next stage of the project that the gondola was not achievable the council would be notified and all expenditure would cease.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, August 26th, 2016)
Fear of missing out in the Nelson-Tasman housing market is giving rise to risky behaviour by some buyers who are under pressure to make quick, clean offers to compete with cashed-up investors.
QV Nelson valuer Craig Russell has described the new phenomenon, driven by a major shortage of housing stock and strong demand, as ‘‘panic buying’’.
Buyers in Nelson-Tasman were facing more multi-offer situations, packed open homes, and competition. In some cases, properties were selling before the first open home. And some houses were under offer within days – or hours – of being listed.
Nelson Property Law Centre solicitor Michael Ducray said because the market was so competitive and buyers couldn’t guarantee that their offer or bid would be successful, they were reluctant to spend money on reports.
‘‘It’s at their risk. If things turn out not quite right later on, it’s a cost they will have to bear.’’
The New Zealand Law Society recommends buyers order a land information memorandum (LIM report) and a builder’s report prior to purchasing.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday, August 27th, 2016)
“Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.”
Arthur Ashe