Plans to sell developments on nearby Hawkins Crescent have been dropped by Kerikeri Retirement Village, having been unsuccessful in finding a buyer.
Kerikeri Retirement Village has shelved plans to sell land it owns in neighbouring Hawkings Crescent to a developer of affordable accommodation for service-sector employees. It has been unable to find a buyer willing to help realise this vision, and will now sell the four properties it owns on the street on the open market. It will channel proceeds from these sales into the new community centre it is building on site.
In March last year, the Village said it was scaling back plans announced in 2018 to build an extra 180 retirement accommodation units on the land. Construction of a new retirement village in Kerikeri, and expansion at others, meant that much of the local demand for retirement accommodation had been met. Instead, it proposed to sell the land to a community-focused developer or philanthropist who would activate consented plans for 29 townhouses to be rented to service industry workers and their families.
The Village said it would keep the community informed of developments.
Kerikeri Retirement Village chief executive Hilary Sumpter said it was disappointing that the organisation had not been able to realise its vision for affordable housing for people working in local service industries.
“Kerikeri is growing like crazy and there’s huge demand for service businesses in sectors such as health, wellbeing, property, care, travel, law, engineering and marketing. But these businesses are handcuffed because potential staff are simply unable to find accommodation,” she said.
Sumpter said last year that, other than the agreement addressing social housing, this vision might not stand the test of time with whoever ultimately purchases the land.
“But the consented plans are extremely valuable and, if we are able to sell to a community-focused developer or philanthropist, we believe it’s likely that the development will progress in line with our expectations,” she said in 2024.
The project was intended to use the funds raised from the sale of the Village’s Hawkings Crescent land to plough back into Village facilities. The Village then planned to build more ‘independent living’ retirement accommodation, drawing plans back from 200 additional units to just 80.
The Hawkings Crescent properties are on the market with REAL Kerikeri and could be ideal for first-time buyers.
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