| 73 Virginia Wright Innovative apartments raise the bar The Haven Road apartments will be the biggest Cross-Laminated Timber building in the South Island. DEVELOPMENT VIP Developments: Haven Rd Apartments Vining Investment Properties (VIP) has been in the property business in Nelson for 30 years. Set up by Tony Vining it began in the commercial property market before diversifying into the residential apartment sector 10 years ago when it began the successful development of the Ocean View Apartments in Tahunanui. The 37-apartment complex features underground carparks, four penthouses, three swimming pools, a gym, a beautifully landscaped outdoor area and, as Tony describes it, “set a new benchmark for apartment living because of the amenities it offers. It’s more Aussie Resort style but they’re privately owned.” Tony has noticed a recent trend towards apartment living in Nelson, a change from earlier times when one development such as Ocean View was enough to keep the market going for years. “The demand’s completely changed. We’ve got retirees, down-sizers, investors, young people all looking to get into the market,” says Tony. It’s good timing for VIP and good news for Nelson’s CBD which, like many other town centres, Tony assesses as having suffered for some years from changing retail habits. “Councils recognise that the only way to revitalize them is to bring the people back into the cities but it’s incredibly difficult to get the right site where you can put the building up without it compromising surrounding buildings or without it being compromised itself with other buildings going up next door to it.” One such site in Haven Road on the edge of Nelson’s CBD, was identified by the Nelson City Council and brought to Tony’s attention around the time the market was turning. When the site first came up Tony had in mind a commercial storage facility but when he was approached by a local council member to look at the site with the potential for urban living he liked what he saw. The council owned site which was formerly a quarry, had been sitting vacant for some time. “It’s elevated and sitting in behind the commercial buildings on Haven Road so they can’t be built out, and it’s supplying much needed living within the city,” says Tony. Under the SHA (Special Housing Accord; a National Government Initiative to facilitate the consenting process, no longer available), working closely with council, they got consent for a six-storey building. They proceeded to work with RM Designs and Aaron Walton Architects to design a building using CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), part of a considered decision by VIP to build using an environmentally friendly product, which happens to also be very seismically resilient. “Our building will be the biggest Cross-Lam one in the South Island when its finished,” says Tony. “The timber that we’re using actually grows really quickly and it continues to sequester carbon in the building. The only concrete we’re using is in the foundations and the carpark. Otherwise all five levels will be built with Cross-Lam. It’s thermally efficient, very quiet, and gives a completely different feel to concrete.” While the relative cost of building with concrete is similar, X-Lam also brings efficiencies in construction time according to Tony. Its suppliers, who used to have their manufacturing plant in Nelson but now operate out of Melbourne, expect to have each of the seven-unit floors constructed in ten days. “Not just the floor, but the walls and the rooms of all seven units on each floor ready for fit-out and furnishing in ten days.” He expects the complex to be completed in about 18 months and in the meantime, running true to current market form, the sales took off from the moment they hit the market. Tucked in against a hillside, facing northeast with views out to the city and the Nelson Haven and Marina area, the 31 apartments comprise three x 3-bedroom penthouses, 20 x 2-bedroom, and 8 x one-bedroom apartments. Construction underway - page 74 ROUT MILNER FITCHETT BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS Marble Arch Arcade, 167 Hardy Street, Nelson Phone: 03 548 0064 www.nelsonlaw.co.nz Rout Milner Fitchett Proud to be associated with VIP Developments and assist it with all its legal needs. 94 Selwyn Place, Nelson | Ph 03 539 0281 www.planscapes.co.nz planscapes (nz) ltd. Surveying and Resource Management
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