PM Inspects NZ’s Largest Private Housing Development   11 Sep 2014

Mike Greer, right, shows Prime Minister John Key around the BeachGrove development in Kaiapoi, where Mike Greer Homes is building 740 new homes.

MEDIA RELEASE
September 11

Prime Minister John Key Inspects Country’s Largest Housing Development by a Private Builder

Prime Minister John Key today visited the BeachGrove development in Kaiapoi to get a first-hand look at the country’s largest private development by Mike Greer Homes.

BeachGrove will deliver 740 new high-quality house and land packages, from as low as $309,000. The majority of the homes will fall under the affordable housing threshold of $450,000, which makes these homes eligible for the maximum Government $20,000 subsidy.

Kaiapoi has been the hardest hit area in Canterbury in the earthquakes with nearly 25% of its homes red-zoned, which played a key role in Mike Greer selecting the site along Beach Road.

“I am passionate about offering the Kaiapoi residents new homes close to their old neighbourhoods and at a price that reflects their community,” according to Mr Greer.

Victor Yarrall, one of the first residents at BeachGrove, chats to Prime Minister John Key. Mr Yarrall has lived in Kaiapoi since 1978 but had to abandon his earthquake-damaged home in Golden Grove on the edge of the red zone, a few hundred metres down the road. He will soon be moving into the first brand new home he has ever owned.

“BeachGrove shows that we can deliver high-quality homes at an attainable price, even in Canterbury.”

Mr Greer said that in the development’s first stage of 90 homes, half had already been sold, some for a little as $319,000.

“And in the second stage, around 40% of the homes will be available for under $400,000, starting from as low as $309,000. This includes brand-new, three-bedroom, stand-alone homes with a single garage,’’ Mr Greer stated.

“The homes are affordable, but all comply with Masterbuild standards and our own high expectations around materials, fittings, craftsmanship and finishing.”

BeachGrove demonstrates that large-scale private developments can deliver high-quality, attainable housing by building in a well-planned, coordinated fashion, instead of individual builders buying plots of land in a development and going through the resource processes one by one.

“Historically New Zealand building processes are very slow, and therefore costly,’’ said Mr Greer.

“By working closely with the terrific people at the Waimakariri District Council and aligning the consents for both the development and the houses, we have been able to speed up delivery and reduce the costs for the buyer.”

Once the consents are signed off, the construction crews work simultaneously on the homes, alongside other teams that deliver the auxiliary services like roads in a coordinated “parallel construction”.

“This coordinated approach is common practice in most countries but unheard of in New Zealand,’’ said Mr Greer. “We have been able to introduce this philosophy to BeachGrove thanks to the scale of our company.’’

BeachGrove will literally rise from the Kaiapoi rubble as the bricks and mortar of demolished homes will be crushed on site and used to elevate the ground level above the potential tidal flood zone.

Mike Greer said that traditional developments often lack the amenities for basic needs, so BeachGrove will include a retail complex for basic shopping and a pre-school, “and Kaiapoi North Primary School is only a few hundred metres down the road.”

Many of the homes are constructed around a reserve, which also doubles as a flood basin for extraordinary spring tides.

Mr. Greer believes that BeachGrove will set a new benchmark for delivering high-quality, affordable homes at rapid pace to deal with the housing supply around Canterbury and New Zealand.

ENDS

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