| 83 PROPERTY Kennedys Green T T Kelly Deeks New homes for Halswell Kennedys Green subdivision will provide for 218 new homes in Halswell. The new Kennedys Green subdivision in Halswell is bringing 218 sections to the market in an area where housing demand has been ‘through the roof’ for more than 10 years, since east-side Christchurch people started shifting west in search of more stable ground after the earthquakes. Kennedys Green, developed by proud, passionate, and prolific Canterbury development company Carter Group, is capturing some economies of scale by issuing all 218 titles at the same time. Bayleys sales specialist Nathan Collett who is working on selling these sections, as well as some house and land packages for local building companies, says while the development will be sold down in stages, titles will come out in one hit at the end of March/early April. “It’s a big job for the Carter Group, but it has gone really well,” Nathan says. “The civil work is nearly complete and like any development, it is great to get to this point. Any development in any area can be quite disruptive to the local community and its residents, so to now be at the point where we have a new roundabout, new roading, and new footpaths, it is great to have a completed development to show.” Nathan says 218 new homes will certainly help with housing demand. “In Halswell, demand has been through the roof the whole time,” he says. “In the past few years since the earthquake, a lot of people moved to Halswell from the east side of town. We keep selling sections and thinking it’s going to slow down eventually, but now people are still coming to Halswell from out of town.” He says the narrative is slowly changing in terms of people wanting to build new homes. Last year got a bit scary with the price of land jumping significantly, the cost to build not really having a ceiling to it, a lack of materials in the market, and the risk that a new home would go over budget and the bank wouldn’t lend any more. “The other option was signing a fixed price contract, but there’s usually a bit of fat built into that. Now the cost of building is increasing at the normal rate of 2% instead of the 10% it has been for the past couple of years, and land values are levelling out.” The location of Kennedys Green has been a huge selling point for Bayleys and a draw-card for new home builders. Just a three minute walk to Halswell School, and an eight minute drive to the nearby Hillmorton High School, a few minutes’ drive to Halswell Quarry, an ever popular spot for walking, running, and letting the dog roam free, and easy access to Christchurch CBD and all that the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula have to offer. Everyday amenities are within easy reach with the local New World and a number of other shops, eateries, and services a mere five minutes’ drive away. Across the road from New World is the Halswell Library and Community centre, featuring a seven lane summer pool, toddler pool, and even a hydroslide. Selling down developments has been a massive part of Bayleys Canterbury’s business for more than 10 years, and Nathan says the real estate firm is very happy to be involved in this development of significant scale. “It works well because we have relationships with a range of quality building companies and mum and dad buyers off the back of that as well.” Proud to be involved with Kennedys Green Kennedys Green subdivision is a 218-lot development in Halswell completed in one stage by Johnston Civil for Oakvale Farm Limited. The project may have faced many challenges over the past 14 months--with the wettest July on record, a high water table, and a tight programme--but the team still managed to get construction nished in February.
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