New Ramarama subdivision progresses First home buyers in South Auckland welcomed moves in mid-2021 to accelerate the construction of hundreds of new houses in one of the country’s largest residential developments.
H
ousing, worth more than half a billion dollars, is included in the Hunua Views subdivision. Part of the 361 hectare, mixed-use precinct of Drury South Crossing, the estate was originally scheduled for completion over six years. Ultimately, some 90 hectares will encompass various community facilities including a childcare centre, recreation areas, wetlands, parks, walking and cycling tracks. A chronic shortage of affordable housing in the region saw the completion timeline brought forward to 2024, but with high demand for the homes, they were not marketed online. Instead they have sold off-plan to a waiting list of buyers who pre-registered their interest. After the announcement in September 2021, Classic Group director, Peter Cooney said the new construction time frame would allow hundreds of first home buyers to gain a foothold in the property market. “This timeline has been pulled forward to meet market demand and help address the
housing shortage in a city which desperately needs quality, affordable housing,” he explained. “This community was designed to be as accessible as possible to a range of people, including first home buyers.” A third of 10 construction stages were set to begin in September 2021, providing 62 families with completed houses by the middle of 2022. Under the advanced construction programme, a further 200 houses are scheduled to be built by the end of 2023. Classic Developments development manager, Scott Keene, said the expectation was that many of the houses would be purchased by some of the 5000+ workers who will eventually be employed by businesses to be built in the new industrial area. “The high demand for homes in the first two stages of construction caught us by surprise as business at Drury South Crossing was not yet underway,” Mr Keen said. “What we can see from the sales data is around half of those purchasing properties
LAND SCARCE BUT HOPE ON THE HORIZON The shortage of land in Franklin, with many new subdivision still looking at 2022 release dates, has seen section prices continue to rise, subsequently affecting build prices too. However, new subdivisions are underway with many local building companies offering house and land packages although most already have waiting lists of people keen to secure a plot meaning it is likely to be well into 2022 before homes are built. 20 — Design and Build Franklin — 2021-2022
Unfortunately, projected houses and land packages seem to hover around $1.1million with only a handful under that price and others considerably more putting affordability into question for many people, in particular, first home buyers. In this pressured housing climate it pays to register your interest with building companies if keen to purchase within Franklin.
are first home buyers. We know that many of them are being priced out of the market further north and are buying in Hunua Views as a way of getting an achievable foothold in the property market.” He added that resource consents applications were underway for larger stages. CEO of Drury South Crossing, Stephen Hughes said, when completed, Drury South Crossing will be home to around 2600 new residents and employ thousands more workers in a new purpose-built industrial area. “Over a decade of planning has gone into this project….with a number of environmental considerations being made such as the planting of half a million native plants and trees,” he said. “Every house will also feature a zinc-free roof and rain water tank which holds water runoff before being treated in our stormwater management system – helping to mitigate the impact of large volumes of water reaching local streams.”
LOOKING AHEAD SOME NEW SUBDIVISIONS INCLUDE: Patumahoe – early 2022; Pukekohe – Belgium Road, mid 2022; Pukekohe Hill – new sections expected around end of 2021/early 2022 Paerata Rise – new stages mid 2022; Clarks Beach – new stage, late 2022; Auranga, Drury.
