Multiple Dwellings Or Low-rise Apartment Development Opportunity For Sale In Prestigious Herne Bay

The land and building which previously operated as a city-fringe pre-school childcare amenity has been placed on the market for sale – with indications it could be reformatted into a residential development.

The converted residential premises at 44 Shelly Beach Road in the Auckland suburb of St Marys Bay consists of a the 333-square metre building (which includes 75 square metres of decks) located at the front of a 1,004-square metre section zoned Mixed Housing Urban under the Auckland Unitary Plan.

The council’s Mixed Housing Urban Zone allows for greater residential intensification of land to sustain dwellings up to three storeys tall in any configuration of detached dwellings, terraced residences, or low-rise apartments.

The zoning supports increasing the capacity and choice of housing within neighbourhoods such as St Marys Bay, as well as promoting a sense of community and increasing the vitality of urban town centres – in this instance being both Ponsonby and Herne Bay which are at the top of Shelly Beach Road.

The building currently on the site provides any new owner with a multitude of options – some of which would generate holding income while redevelopment plans for the greater site were lodged with Auckland Council.

The converted Georgian-style villa has been utilised as an early childhood education centre, and could, under existing use rights, be let to another business operator – either in the childcare sector to make use of the existing internal configuration, or as chambers for a professional services firm.

Alternatively, the home’s positioning at the front of the site means it could be converted back into a residential dwelling, with the rear of the property developed into new housing. Or it could be removed altogether to make way for the likes of a terraced housing project, or even low-rise apartments up to 11 metres high – equating to three storeys - subject to council approval.

The site has a 22-metre street frontage onto Shelly Beach Road and is northerly-facing with potential views over the inner-harbour across to Birkenhead. The site is gently contoured along its northern boundary.

The council’s resource consent requirements enable the design and layout of any development proposal to be assessed – recognising the need to achieve a quality design is important as the scale of development in such areas increases.

The Herne Bay Montessori pre-school business has been leasing the St Marys Bay property for approximately $172,741 plus GST per annum. After trading for 18 years, its lease expires soon and the property is on the market for sale.

Now the property at 44 Shelly Beach Road is being jointly marketed for sale by deadline private treaty through Bayleys Auckland and Bayleys North Shore, with offers closing on August 6. Salespeople Damien Bullick, Terry Kim and Michael Nees said the property was located in one of Auckland’s most desirable suburbs – just a few kilometres from the city’s central business district and within the dual upmarket retail and hospitality hubs of Ponsonby and Herne Bay.

“Demand for both housing and commercial space in premium locations, such as St Marys Bay, is relatively immune to the wider property cycle and economic climates, and sites of this scale rarely become available,” Kim said.

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