14 December

Large projects boost Manawatū building consents in October

Two large consents for building projects in the Manawatū region contributed to a 65% increase in the value of consents issued in October compared with October 2011. Consents totalling $29.4 million were issued compared with $17.8 million last year.

The two main contributors to the growth were a $10 million retirement village in Feilding ($4m hospital and $6m for 61 residential units) and $8.1m for a new processing plant in Palmerston North.

Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor says it’s encouraging to see an overall lift in the value of building consents in the region. “Palmerston North continues to weather the Global Financial Crisis better than most. However, I’m mindful the situation can change quickly and that some sectors are doing better than others.”

Manawatū District is experiencing strong growth in consents for new houses, which totalled $3.2m in October compared with $1.9m in October 2011. Manawatū District new housing consents (excluding the retirement village housing units) have increased from $21.7m in the year to October 2011 to $32.3m in the year to October 2012, an increase of 49%.

New residential building consents have declined in Palmerston North from $48.9m in the year to October 2011 to $45m in the year to October 2012. However, consents for residential additions and alterations have picked up strongly, increasing from $8m last year to $11.1m in the year to October.

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