| 69 DEVELOPMENT Blakely Group: Woodbury Estate Rachel Graham Leeston development ticking all the boxes Woodbury Estate is a 107-lot site just on the edge of Leeston in Canterbury. A Canterbury developer says Leeston has been an underrated location for those looking for a new home, but that is starting to change. Woody Blakely, of the Blakely Group, is developing Woodbury Estate, a 107-lot site just on the edge of Leeston in Canterbury. He says all sites have now been sold, and the first two stages of the development have been completed. Woody says the last stages should be finished by Christmas time. He says the sites in nearby Lincoln and Rolleston which have been selling for around $500,000, with construction of a house on top of that adding on another $600,000, are just not viable for most first home buyers. In the Woodbury Estate development in Leeston the sites have cost on average about $230,000, with those who got in early getting hold of sites for around $220,000. He says with the Leeston development they made a conscious decision to aim to sell to the end users of the sites. “So we’ve ended up with a lot of first home buyers. We’ve really tried to keep the value up for them, by taking care of things like fencing and putting driveways in ourselves.” The sections are on average around 650 square metres, on a site in the south-east corner of Leeston. Woody says Today Homes is one of the builders with a strong presence within the development, building on around 40 of the lots. The site is about a ten-minute walk from the centre of Leeston, and a quick five-minute stroll to the nearest park. The Leeston township has a row of quaint veranda-covered shops, with cafes, a gym, restaurants, a pre-school, supermarket and a greengrocer highlighting all the top-quality local produce and products. Leeston also has a primary school and a high school. Leeston is about 30 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, and a short drive from Lake Ellesmere and the Rakaia River. The area has plenty to do for those that love the outdoors. Nearby Coes Ford is always a popular camping spot, and Harts Creek is the perfect place for a family day-out. Harts Creek is a spring-fed creek where you can go fly-fishing for trout, do some bird spotting for the swans, fantails and white herons, or just enjoy a gentle walk. Leeston is within the Selwyn District Council area, and in 2021 had a population of 2370. The Selwyn district has been one of the fastest growing districts in New Zealand in recent years. Nearby Rolleston, Lincoln and Prebbleton have expanded massively in the last ten years, with people attracted to the rural lifestyle with the bonus of the urban amenities. Woody says the Leeston site still provides a lovely rural outlook, while the nearby new motorway can get you into Christchurch, Rolleston or Lincoln in no time. “First home buyers might need to make a bit of a compromise on travelling time, but for that they get a good place to bring up the family, a place with old-fashioned country values.” He says he hopes the development is also adding to the Leeston township in a positive way, bringing some additional population, and with that a positive spin-off for businesses and the local amenities. Woody says the quick sale of the sections, with all selling within two months of going on the market, shows the ongoing interest in buying a section with a bit of room to breathe. He says while multi-storey buildings may work for some, many people still want a good-sized section “with a backyard where you can kick a ball around with the kids”. Phone Sandy on 027 438 9576 Quarry Hours: 7am -5pmweekdays Check out our new website: www.ellesmereexcavationandaggregate.co.nz • • Assorted crushed aggregates • Crusher dust • Washed premix 13mm & 20mm • Boulders • 12mm driveway chip Proud to be associated with the team at Blakely Group EMAIL: gardencitydrainage@gmail.com FOR ALL YOUR • Drainage • Service Installations • Water Installations • Truck and Excavator Hire Proud to be associated with Blakely Group KAIAPOI KAIAPOI'S LOCAL BUILDING SUPPLY STORE Right products, right advice. For all your building supplies, tools and more, call into Kaiapoi ITM—we’ll see you right! Proudly supporting Blakely Group 197 Ohoka Road, Kaiapoi 03 327 8829 sales@kaiapoiitm.co.nz
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