Building consents down
The value of building consents in Waipā plunged 96 per cent to $69.4 million in the first quarter of the district council’s financial year.
The most significant of the consents granted from July 1 to September 30 was to the council itself for 10 new pensioner houses in Thompson Street, Leamington.
Among other building consents were refurbishment of the Countdown Supermarket in Te Awamutu, two new blocks of two storey apartments for Summerset Cambridge Retirement Village, 19 new serviced apartments at Bupa St Kilda, Cambridge and new warehouse/offices for Camex Civil in Hautapu.
In his report to the council’s Strategic Planning and Policy committee this week, District Growth and Regulatory services group manager Wayne Allan said the 373 building consents were down 136 on the same quarter last year.
Code compliance certificates were also down, as were the number of new dwellings. Te Awamutu and Kihikihi only had seven new dwellings compared to 32 last year while Cambridge and Leamington were down from 40 to 28.
Building Consents July – September
Allan told the committee only about 34ha of the Cambridge North growth cell remains to be developed with St Kilda now fully completed.
The Summerset Retirement Village is proceeding while the Health Hub recently lodged a change to its facility. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s proposal for its land is out for tender.
The C2 growth cell is the area west of Cambridge out to the Velodrome.
Earthworks are largely completed for the second stage of Bridleways with a central roundabout, collector roads, terminal pumpstation and swales all under construction.
Collector roads fronting the new school to the north are also largely complete.
The Education Ministry is looking to start construction on the as yet unnamed school early next year.
In the Titanium Park growth cell at Hamilton Airport, 95 per cent of the area has been developed.
The council met developers in growth cell T11 – the land previously owned by the council at 1262 Cambridge Road in Te Awamutu – to coordinate and finalise the development agreement and infrastructure work agreements.
The land is now owned by Kāinga Ora which wants to build approximately 30 single storey, one and two bedroom housing units on the land.
The Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration fund did not accept the next phase of development so developers will need to do so, said Allan.
Negotiations have taken place between developers and the Ministry of Housing and Urban development and if successful, would deliver 40 lots.
New Dwellings July – September
