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.
It 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.
The Hawkings Crescent properties are on the market with REAL Kerikeri and could be ideal for first-time buyers.
