Summerset secures land for new villages in Rangiora, Blenheim
By Paul McBeth
March 25 (BusinessDesk) - Summerset Group expects to spend more than $250 million building new villages in Blenheim and
Rangiora where it's secured land for development.
The retirement village operator and developer bought nine hectares in Rangiora, where it plans to build more than 300
units. It also bought six hectares in Blenheim for a 200-plus unit village. Both sites will include two- and
three-bedroom villas, serviced apartments, rest homes, hospital-level care, and dementia care centres.
"We’re delighted to bring our brand of popular retirement living to both towns. Rangiora and Blenheim are both highly
rated as places to retire in New Zealand," chief executive Julian Cook said in a statement.
Summerset has 25 villages completed or in development across the country and 11 sites for development. It built 454
units in calendar 2018 and its landbank of 3,910 units as at Dec. 31 supports an increase in the firm's expected average
annual build rate to 600 units over the next two to three years.
Government data show 1,992 retirement village units received building consent in the year ended Jan. 31. Consents have
been tracking above 1,900 for the past five January years, up from the 1,367 units permitted in the January 2014 year.
No price was disclosed for the two land acquisitions and both are subject to Overseas Investment Office approval.
Wellington-based Summerset spent $54.7 million on land in calender 2018, $203.8 million on new villages and almost $10
million constructing new care centres. It spent a further $6.4 million refurbishing established villages and care
centres.
Summerset said it expects to spend more than $250 million building the two villages, employing some 600 people during
the construction phase and creating 40 jobs at each village once they're up and running.
The shares rose 0.6 percent to $6.55, outperforming the 0.7 percent decline on the S/NZX 50 Index this morning.
(BusinessDesk)
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