Life-saving charities set to benefit from rural land sale

Life-saving charities set to benefit from rural land sale

Two life-saving charities which rely heavily on the goodwill of the community and volunteers to deliver their services are poised to receive personal donations.

The Kerikeri branches of the St John’s Ambulance service and the town’s volunteer fire brigade have been nominated to receive $12,500 each upon the successful sale of a potential residential subdivision close to the towns of Waipapa and Kerikeri.

The property’s owners, who wish to remain anonymous, said: “The unselfish work from these organisations deserves recognition, and we would like to do our part as members of the local community in passing on financial contributions from the sale for their benefit.”

The 40 hectare plot close to the centre of Kerikeri is described as “a great opportunity for someone who can see the benefits, to purchase land with substantial growth potential in the future.”

The property is on the market for sale by negotiation through Bayleys Kerikeri. The owners said they were prepared to assist with personal financing as part of any deal – enabling potential buyers with smaller mortgages to make an offer.

Bayleys Kerikeri salesperson Kerry Ludbrook said that in all his five years of real estate, he had never worked with such generous clients.

“Most vendors simply want to know that at the end of the day, you’re going to sell their property. With one eye on the wellbeing of their local community, the owners of this property have gone one step further and thrown out this incredibly generous offer,” Mr Ludbrook said.

“Being a fellow Kerikeri local, and someone who has also seen the unbelievable good work these charities undertake in often harrowing conditions, I’ve also now got a real incentive to get this deal done too.”

A valuation report on the property by Kerikeri firm Moir McBain Valuations said the Waipapa Road land could potentially be subdivided up into 67 residential plots of 4000 square metres. Aside from a metalled driveway and entrance, the land is totally undeveloped at this stage.

The report said the land was located in an area “earmarked for future development” with adjoining properties already zoned in the ‘rural living’ category.

Mr Ludbrook said that as an alternative to a 67-site subdivision, the land could be sliced into a much smaller number of lifestyle residential blocks upon approval by the local council – potentially as an exclusive gated-community.

“The Waipapa River flows along the rear of the site - giving a peaceful aspect to the lower terraced area, while the land on the higher plateau has spectacular uninterrupted views over the rural countryside,” Mr Ludbrook said.

“The target buyer for this land is obviously a property developer looking to buy at near the trough of the real estate sale cycle, but with a view to potentially land-banking over the immediate future, then having all the necessary council consents in place when the market hits full recovery phase. This could well be over a five year time frame.”

The Waipapa Road block has a rating valuation of $2.125million and a 2007 registered valuation of $4.8million. Mr Ludbrook said he expected offers to fall somewhere within the two price indications – putting it well within the price range of several Northland-resident property developers who would be made aware of the opportunity over the coming month.

“There are a lot of very wealthy Northlanders in the likes of Whangarei, Kerikeri, Paihia, and up toward Doubtless Bay who quietly go about their business on a day-to-day basis, but who are always ready to seize an attractive business proposition like this,” he said.

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