92 | T T Richard Loader Luxury living on the city fringe Cashmere Estate is a labour of passion undertaken by Hamish Wright. Cashmere Estate DEVELOPMENT Quietly nestled between Cashmere Valley and Worsley Valley in Christchurch’s Port Hills, the luxury Cashmere Estate subdivision encompasses a unique mix of natural beauty and landscape with the architectural diversity of high-quality builds and beautifully developed streetscapes. Just six kilometres from all the urban amenities and activities offered by Christchurch’s CBD, and everything in between, Cashmere estate also has the benefit of the Christchurch Adventure Park as its rear neighbour, with numerous walking and bike paths leading you there from your doorstep in matter of minutes. Steeped in history, the 150 hectare development is the last remnant of the original ‘Cashmere’ farm, named after India’s Kashmir, and originally the home Sir John Cracoft-Wilson, an Englishman born in colonial India. Now in its 6th and 7th stages on the Worsley Valley side, Cashmere Estate is a labour of passion undertaken by Hamish Wright through his development company Cashmere Land Developments Ltd. Hamish is also spearheading civil construction through CCL Construction Contracting. “The land was bought from the McVicor family who had owned it since the 1970s and had envisioned the concept for the development, in conjunction with Christ College who also owned part of the land for close to 100 years,” says Hamish. “Cashmere Land Developments Ltd started the first stage in 2017 and has completed just over 200 sections over 6 stages to date.” Hamish acknowledges that because of the valleys and steep contour the location has presented a challenging place to build civil construction wise, with many kilometres of retaining walls constructed to provide a good aspect for houses so that everyone gets a view. “We’ve been working with some very steep slopes, and some difficult civil construction has taken place, but it’s amazing just how gentle it is when we have actually finished stages. “ We have probably gone over and above any other development in Christchurch with our land contouring and retaining walls to supply better starting blocks for the construction of houses. “We have flat building sites with amazing views, and as we move further up the hill there are a lot of flat sections that will have amazing panoramic views. Our next stages will encompass views all the way from the Southern Alps north to the Kaikoura Ranges and over the city.” Each stage of the development encompasses between 25-35 sections ranging in size from 450m2 to over 1500m2 with the most common being 700-900m2. Progressively undertaken as a block, stages 6 and 7 encompasses 67 sections. The 6th stage has been completed and now awaiting title, with the 7th stage due for completion in December 2024. In total there are likely to be 12 stages. Of the the150 hectares, Cashmere Land Developments vested 80 hectares as reserves to the Christchurch City Council for native planting, walking tracks and stormwater management areas. “We’ve planted over a million natives so far, with the Council doing about the same, with millions more still to come. By the time the subdivision is completed the aim is to have the entire reserve land planted so that it will just be native bush with walking tracks meandering through it. “We have flat building sites with amazing views, and as we move further up the hill there are a lot of flat sections that will have amazing panoramic views. Our next stages will encompass views all the way from the Southern Alps north to the Kaikoura Ranges and over the city.” “The reserves separate the stages so that each stage has a unique niche characteristic and the overall development doesn’t resemble a big subdivision. Cashmere Estate has that resort feel, but without having to drive for hours.” Sections are currently being marketed between $495,000 and $795,000 to a broad range of purchasers from young family’s to empty nesters wanting a new home with great views and access directly to the many kilometres of walking tracks throughout the valley. For Hamish, Cashmere Estate is a passion and he says somewhat of a legacy project with a vision to create a tranquil native oasis in close proximity to the central Christchurch city. “The end result will be well worth it. It will be wonderful if my grandchildren can go past one day and say, this is what granddad built.”
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