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Duke & Cooke Property News |
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Published on: 16th February 2009 CITY COUNCIL ‘DIFFICULT’ OVER CHILDCARE CENTRE CITY COUNCIL ‘DIFFICULT’ OVER CHILDCARE CENTREA developer who has built childcare centres around the country says the Nelson City Council is one of the most difficult he’s ever dealt with and appears to have got worse rather than better. But the council says it has acted fairly and in keeping with the Resource Management Act. SVS director Chris Thornley has been granted consent to build an early-childhood learning centre catering for up to 75 children near the Nelson Botanical Reserve at 400-402 Hardy St East. Mr Thornley estimates the process cost him and the council “well in excess” of $100,000 and delayed his project. “It’s taken twice as long to get resource consent as it will take to build the centre. It takes a month just to get a hearing date.” Mr Thornley also developed the St Vincent St early-childhood education centre now run as a YMCA YKids centre. He said the council was much more cooperative on that occasion, having different staff then. The Nelson Mail, Monday 16 February 2009 AIRPORT SAFETY MOVES WOULD COST MILLIONSMillions of dollars will have to be spent and major changes made to Nelson Airport to beef up security if the recommendations of a large review of airline safety are adopted. The changes would see a 2.24 metre-high barbed wire fence built around the airport’s perimeter, moats built at the ends of the runway, a significant extension to the terminal, and more than a dozen extra security staff hired. Nelson’s airport manager and MP say the changes are unnecessary and “over the top”. Nelson Airport manager Kaye McNabb said the increased security measures would cost millions of dollars, expenditure that would eventually have to be passed on to passengers. Mrs McNabb said that unless the changes could be justified by significantly reducing the risk assessment, she was not convinced they were necessary. The Nelson Mail, Thursday 19 February 2009 TRAFALGAR STREET SALE SECRETSecrecy surrounds the Nelson City Council’s negotiations over a proposed property purchase in Trafalgar St. The governance committee discussed the matter yesterday in private business, in order to protect the interests of the property owner, council chief executive Keith Marshall said. He said the reason the item was discussed confidentially was because the people selling did not want it known publicly. The Nelson Mail, Friday 20 February 2009 HOME OWNERSHIP OUTLOOK GRIMHome ownership is expected to slide further in Nelson city and Tasman district despite studies showing that home affordability has improved. Nelson Tasman Housing Trust chairwoman Kindra Douglas said she doubted that lower mortgage interest rates would reverse falling ownership, particularly since banks had started requiring larger deposits. The only true measure of home ownership is census data. The last one, in 2006, found that Nelson and Tasman had higher-than-average rates of home ownership, with 57 and 62 per cent respectively, but both areas were slipping backwards. The Nelson Mail, Saturday 21 February 2009 RIDGEWAY VENTURE UP FOR REVIEW AMID TALK OF WIND-UPThe Nelson City Council wants out of the Ridgeways Joint Venture partnership, and so does its partners, Homedale Holdings Ltd. The 50-50 joint venture, which has developed the Stoke Heights subdivision, and which 10 years ago came close to collapse when the council expressed concerns then about its function, has yet to sell 25 sections in the 220-section subdivision. Joint-venture chairman Seddon Marshall told The Nelson Mail that the partners were willing to discuss winding it up. “It was set up in 1994 and perhaps it’s run its course, because the work has been done,” Mr Marshall said. City councillors agreed on Thursday that the joint venture would be reviewed as part of a wider look at all council-controlled organisations, with one suggesting the council’s share of the land be made available to a housing trust. Councillors were told during a governance committee meeting that section sales had slowed considerably since 2006, with three sold this financial year. Net income, after the cost of sales, result in the council’s share being about $60,000 per section, council business assets advisor Ian Morrison said in his report to councillors. Seddon Marshall said there was no debt on the project, with minimal costs being carried by the joint venture in relation to maintenance, accounting, taxation and rates payments. He said winding up the partnership would simply be a matter of dividing the assets, much the same as in a divorce. The Nelson Mail, Saturday 21 February 2009 PROPERTY NEWSBowling makes comeback Ten pin bowling is set to return to the region. Construction has started on a six-lane bowling alley at Richmond’s Action Indoors Sports Centre in McPherson St. Owner/operator Vicky Collis said the centre currently operated five nights a week and this wasn’t enough to sustain rising costs. Various ideas, including closing down, had been considered but ten pin bowling kept coming up as the best option, she said. “After 14 years offering indoor sports to locals, it’s exciting to be offering something new and exciting.” The $350,000 development includes a fully licensed bar and café and a new area for the existing children’s after-school care and holiday programmes. Construction is expected to be complete by late April and the centre will start opening from 10am until late, seven days a week. Another two lanes would be added towards the end of this year if the venture was successful. Two family homes on large, established properties in Stoke both attracted multiple offers and sold within a couple of weeks of being listed. Summit agent Ross Benbow said he had six groups wanting to put offers on 17 Willow Ave. “A lot of people liked the size of the section and the fact it had four big bedrooms plus and was in the centre of Stoke.” The property has a GV of $390,000 and sold for “close to” its $495,000 asking price. Meanwhile, a four-bedroom home on a 1138sq m back section in Reeves St was listed by Ray White agent Brent Sturm for $395,000 and attracted multiple offers before its first two open homes last weekend which attracted 35 groups. It sold unconditionally on Tuesday for “just under” the asking price, seven days after it was listed, Mr Sturm said. Motueka Amcal Pharmacy owner Mike McGrath has purchased a section next door to the Greenwood Medical Centre in Motueka with plans to construct a new pharmacy there. It “made good sense” to have a pharmacy next door to a large group of doctors, he said. Mr McGrath purchased the 619sq m section through Summit commercial agent Bevan Dixon. Mr Dixon said he sourced the land and approached the owners to see if they were interested in selling. Mr McGrath hopes to get construction underway mid this year and plans to retain his existing pharmacy in High St. A three-bedroom villa in the Victory area – traditionally one of Nelson’s cheaper suburbs – sold for more than the city’s median property price. The property at 138 Toi Toi St was initially listed for $369,000 last June and sold last month for $343,000 which was $73,000 over its GV. The median sale price in Nelson in January was $320,000. First National agent Margaret Hodgkinson declined to comment although her advertising said the villa had “old world” charm with “beautifully private landscaped grounds”. Another three-bedroom property at 4/57 Toi Toi St sold in December for its listing price of $245,000. Its GV was $220,000. Meanwhile, a two-bedroom home at 26 Thompson Terrace that sold for $210,000 in 2005 fetched $187,000 last month. It has a GV of $220,000. The Nelson Mail, Saturday 21 February 2009 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK"It's amazing how fast later comes when you buy now!" |
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This publication is compiled by Duke & Cooke Ltd, valuation and property specialists. The information contained within this newssheet has been obtained from various local sources and no responsibility is held for any parties relying on the accuracy of this information without obtaining independent verification. To contact us regarding circulation of this service: Phone +64 (03) 5489104, Fax +64 (03) 5468668, or email: admin@valuersnelson.co.nz |