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Duke & Cooke Property News |
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Published on: 17th August 2009 HOUSING MARKET UPTURN HOUSING MARKET UPTURNNelson's housing market has recovered further and is looking healthier than in most other New Zealand regions. Quotable Value figures released today show Nelson's property values in the three months until July 31 were 1.7 per cent down compared with the same period last year while Tasman was down 4.9 per cent. (The Nelson Mail, Monday 10 August 2009) TOXIC MAPUA SOIL TO STAY PUT: COUNCILA mound of soil left after the clean-up of the former Fruitgrowers Chemical Company site in Mapua is too contaminated and costly to shift, says a Tasman District Council manager. Mapua residents have been left horrified by the remark and are struggling to understand why the grassed mound is too toxic to be dumped at the Eves Valley landfill, but considered safe enough to be left next to houses. Last night, about 45 residents questioned council environment and planning manager Dennis Bush-King and Ministry for the Environment representatives Bruce Croucher and Todd Krieble over a recently released audit report on what was once regarded as New Zealand's most contaminated site. The report found that the Mapua site poses no risk to human health, and is safe to develop for commercial, residential and open-space use. (The Nelson Mail, Tuesday 11 August 2009) TALLEY FAMILY LINKED TO ONE OF TWO EXCLUSIVE LODGE SALESTwo exclusive Nelson accommodation establishments appear to be on the brink of changing hands. The Nelson Mail understands there are sale agreements pending for The Lodge at Paratiho in Upper Moutere and Lake Rotoroa Lodge near Murchison. The Lodge at Paratiho first went on the market in 2003 with a $30 million price tag, but was marketed for $22m before closing its doors in March last year. Fletcher Vautier Moore partner Chris Royds, the lawyer acting for owner Sally Hunt, confirmed late last month that the property had gone under contract. Meanwhile, Rotoroa Lodge manager Bill McDermott confirmed to The Nelson Mail yesterday that it too was going through a sale process. The sale was a "99 per cent" certainty, he said. (The Nelson Mail, Tuesday 11 August 2009) BREATHING LIFE INTO MELROSEMelrose House, a publicly owned historic home in the heart of Nelson, now has a grand boardroom that can be hired for use. It is just one of many moves being made to return life to the once-stately home, and the public is being asked to help restore it to its former glory. At an open day at the 133-year-old Brougham St house last Sunday members of the public brought in memorabilia, including photos and newspaper articles about the house. The material will be useful to Melrose Society member Ruth Bayley who is writing a book on the history of the house, using a $2500 grant from Nelson City Council to help with the research. The house, built for surveyor Charles Watts, was given to the women's division of Federated Farmers in 1944 for its members to use as a retreat when they came to town. When the organisation gifted the house to the council in 1974 its future was uncertain, and its stately furniture was sold at an auction that attracted buyers from as far as Auckland and Dunedin. (The Nelson Mail, Wednesday 12 August 2009) CARTER BACKS LEE VALLEY DAM PROJECTAgriculture Minister David Carter has come out in support of the planned $30 million Lee Valley dam project - Tasman district's biggest infrastructure development. "I'm prepared to champion the cause," said Mr Carter, who attended a briefing on the project from the Waimea Water Augmentation Committee at the Tasman District Council in Richmond and toured the area yesterday. However, he stopped short of promising money for it. The proposed dam is designed to solve an acute water shortage that has seen water rationed in the Waimea Plains in six out of the last eight years. The dam would store up to 13 million cubic metres of water to flow into the Waimea River for supply to the Waimea Basin for irrigation, urban and industrial supply. (The Nelson Mail, Thursday 13 August 2009) WOOD TAKEAWAY SHOP RISES AGAINLike a phoenix rising from the ashes, or rubble in this case, the Milton St Fish and Chip Cafe in the Wood area of Nelson is on the way to revival. Owner Ron Clark, who was badly burned when the shop was destroyed in a dramatic gas explosion in April this year, said it was three or four weeks away from re-opening, complete with new-era gas systems and a modern gas detector. He said the shop rebuild was covered by insurance, and was destined to make it an even better place than before. The layout of the former butcher shop has been replaced with one that has been specifically designed to suit the needs of a fish and chip shop. (The Nelson Mail, Thursday 13 August 2009) SOLAR POWER PILOT TAKES OFFThe Nelson Solar City pilot project has passed first base, with the first of 25 homes and businesses selected for the project now online with the web-based solar monitoring service SolarTrak. Andrew Booth of Solar City New Zealand, which is leading the development, said the pilot scheme was the next step in testing the Solar City concept, which aims to see solar water heating installed in 1000 Nelson homes and businesses. The 25 homes and businesses were selected from more than 200 applications. He said the Nelson Fire Station, which also houses the St John Ambulance service, and the new Saxton Field Sports Centre were among the businesses taking part. (The Nelson Mail, Friday 14 August 2009) SCALED-BACK SUTER PLAN GOING AHEADA less ambitious refurbishment plan for Nelson's historic Suter art gallery has started, eight years after a multimillion-dollar development scheme was launched. Bishop Suter Trust trustee and Nelson artist Jane Evans said the refurbishment project now under way was "poles in the ground stuff", aimed at enhancing the existing gallery. Suter director Julie Catchpole said work had begun on stabilising the brick and masonry work of the original 110-year-old gallery. The next stage would be removing the false ceiling above the old wooden-floored gallery, which hid a Gothic-inspired original structure. The building has a category A heritage protection listing. The Suter redevelopment is being governed by five principles: - Development has to be in keeping with the historic quality of the site. - The need for a new gallery space for artworks, to show more of the Suter's collection. Included in that is a reconfiguration of education space. - New staff headquarters. - Entrance and foyer upgrade to better reflect a biocultural society. - Development to be staged so the gallery stays open throughout the process. (The Nelson Mail, Saturday 15 August 2009) KINDY UPGRADEDImprovements to Victory Square Kindergarten have been completed. Teachers, children and parents celebrated the $120,000 job with a blessing yesterday. Wendy Logan, chief executive of the Nelson District Kindergarten Association which funded the work, said the development opened up a whole new aspect for the use of the kindergarten. The changes included the office and storage areas being expanded, a new office for the family liaison worker and a whanau room for community use. "The whanau room gives groups a place for activities that support the Victory Square community," Mrs Logan said. (The Nelson Mail, Saturday 15 August 2009) PRICEY PROPERTIES SELLNelson homes are selling more quickly, and several properties in higher price brackets - including one over $2 million - have recently sold. Real Estate Institute figures released yesterday show there were eight property sales between $700,000 and $999,000, one between $1m and $1.49m, and one that fetched $2 million plus during July. The previous few months had seen very few houses selling in these price brackets, sometimes none at all. The total number of houses sold in Nelson and Tasman rose from 107 in July 2008 and 130 in June this year to 135 last month, while the median sale price was $355,000. (The Nelson Mail, Saturday 15 August 2009) MEETING TO DISCUSS PROPOPSED 11M DAMSpring Grove residents concerned about a proposed large dam will hold a public meeting on Monday. Minvest Securities, whose directors include Robert Eggers, of Brightwater, and Alan Eggers, of Perth, Australia, has applied for resource consent to built the 11-metre-high dam on a Higgins Rd property. Spring Grove resident Wayne O'Neill said residents were worried about what would happen with the dam in a flood. The Tasman District Council had notified the application to a few affected residents, but 25 had attended a meeting last Tuesday and decided to hold a public meeting on Monday, he said. Jerram Tocker Barron Architects representative David Jerram said architect Marc Barron and Mark Foley of engineering consultants Tonkin and Taylor would attend the meeting to answer the residents' concerns. The application has been revised from storing 50,000 cubic metres of water in the dam to 30,000 cubic metres, and the depth of the water reduced to 5m. The meeting will be held at the Spring Grove Drill Hall, Lord Rutherford Rd, at 7.30pm on Monday, and residents have until August 28 to make submissions. (The Nelson Mail, Saturday 15 August 2009) PROPERTY WATCHUpgrade to CYF offices The Ministry of Social Development is planning to spend more than $200,000 upgrading the Child, Youth and Family offices on the first floor of the Munro Building in Bridge St, Nelson. Social Development Ministry chief executive Peter Hughes said 45 staff worked in the office, and it was last refitted nine years ago. "As we are exploring options to renew the lease on this premises, there is a clearly identified need to modernise and upgrade the building and its services, upgrade security and address the generally worn and tatty environment." An early estimate of $200,000 had been budgeted but actual costs were likely to be higher because other essential upgrade work had since been identified, he said. "I can assure you that we will work to achieve the most cost-effective solutions through the tendering of work to local builders, contractors and suppliers." The upgrade is expected to take 12 weeks to complete. Fewer houses listed Residential house sale listings in the Nelson region have slipped further. The Property Weekly magazine featured 64 pages on August 8 last year, but last week it was only 56 pages. The Summit Weekly has gone from 32 pages at this time last year to 24 last week, and Trade Me Property live listings dropped 6 per cent as at July 31 compared with the same time last year. It had about 810 properties listed in the region this week. The situation reminds First National principal Colin Wilson of the 2002 to 2004 period, when it was "hand to mouth with listings to sales", he said. "I suspect our latest levels are as low, if not lower, than that." Paper Plus on the move Nelson's Paper Plus store will be operating from new premises in Trafalgar St next week. Owner David Moir said the former Just Incredible store, just a few doors along from the existing store, was getting "the latest Paper Plus fit-out", and he hoped to have the move completed in time for opening on Monday. The new shop was bigger, and customers would enter it from Trafalgar St and Buxton Square, he said. The existing Paper Plus site is available for lease. CRT building approved Combined Rural Traders has been granted consent for a new base with 25 car parking spaces at 32 Main Rd Hope. Regional manager John Lennon said the business had outgrown its existing premises in McGlashen Ave, Richmond. The new development is being undertaken by Network Tasman, which has its base just down the road. It was all ready to go as soon as the three-week consent appeal period was up, Mr Lennon said. A 1960s house currently sits on the site. The new building will be three times as large as CRT's existing premises and will include a retail area, chemical and bulk stores, an office and a real estate agency. Lots of buyer interest A four-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 14 Cobham Crescent, Stoke attracted "huge numbers of people" and multiple offers after just one weekend open home, Professionals Sunny Nelson Realty principal Aaron McCrae said. "There's definitely plenty more buyers." Mr McCrae declined to reveal what the Cobham Crescent property sold for. The 1970's home, with a swimming pool and two-car garaging, was marketed as price by negotiation and has an RV of $400,000. (The Nelson Mail, Saturday 15 August 2009) DID YOU KNOW?The Duke & Cooke range of services includes market valuations of retirement villages and rest homes. THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKIf your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it. |
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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 |