46 | Dunweavin 2020 T T Sue Russell New blood shaping Rolleston’s growth The subdivision at 617 East Maddisons Road is a four hectare block that is being developed in two stages. DEVELOPMENT AREINZ Alex Dunlop, along with Simon Dunlop and Martin Weaver formed Christchurch-based business Dunweavin in 2020 as a way of bringing in a new generation of the family into the property development industry. Alex’s history, though, in building new subdivisions in the Rolleston suburb of the city, stems back some 15 years when he and his identical twin brother Norman joined forces to purchase and develop a nine-section subdivision in Rolleston. “When we decided to split we formed two separate companies four years ago. Simon is an accountant and Martin looks after sales and is also involved in selecting the blocks we buy and develop,” Alex explains. Alex stresses the business doesn’t operate in a big way, concentrating on purchasing small blocks in good situations, undertaking all the consenting, planning and civil works that goes into creating a small new subdivision. “We tried building our own homes on the sites when Norman and I were developing together but it just wasn’t viable, so instead, when I got involved in Dunweavin we remained subdivision developers.” Now that the business has been structured to hand over to the next generation, Alex plans to step back from day to day involvement in time. “It will be up to Martin and Simon to grow the business to the next stage. They are each very skilled at what they do, so the company is in good hands.” The present subdivision at 617 East Maddisons Road is a four hectare block that is being developed in two stages. Stage one is nearing completion with stage two about to start. “The intention is to complete each stage in a 12 months period so that things keep moving along and funding flows back to us in good time-frames. It’s a costly business to go through the consenting and zoning processes with Council.” Alex recalls a little of the history of land acquisition in the area, saying it has had quite a volatile journey. “The Selwyn District Council had a 10year plan to open up new land for sale, but it was all sold off in five years to developers. Consequently the price of land doubled. The sections we are selling now are double the price. Five years ago our section sizes were between 500-1000m2, and now they are 400-650m2, so the houses are smaller and most have gone down to one living area.” While a subdivision is in construction phase most sections are pre-sold keeping the business ticking over well. “We’re fortunate to have a good group of contractors we’ve been loyal to.” Another change Alex has observed over the years is in subdivision roading where today, roads are much narrower than in the past. “This is required by Council as a means to control traffic speed. In our subdivisions there are almost always children living in the homes.” Dunweavin 2020 Ltd uses convenants as a means to offer protection to the purchasers of sections. An example of this is in the banning of certain breeds of dogs and only allowing single story homes to be built. “We have had some comments from home owners that they would like the keeping of bees and chickens to be included as well and will consider these requests when we re-visit the covenants for the next subdivision.” The Government led activity to push for more intensification also means that consideration in future will be given to both section sizes and allowing more duplexes within any new subdivision the company develops. Alex says while sub-division development is not for the faint-hearted, he has learnt a lot about what it is best to concentrate on. “Martin and Simon have complementary skills to bring to the table and I have no doubt they’ll lead the business on to many more successful developments in the future.” “The intention is to complete each stage in a 12 months period so that things keep moving along and funding flows back to us in good timeframes.”
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