A substantial block of under-utilised commercially zoned land in the middle of one of New Zealand’s foremost coastal holiday towns famed for its recreation activities have been placed on the market for sale.

The corner site property in the Coromandel Peninsula township of Whitianga consists of an approximately 2,861-square metre landholding, with a modest three-bedroom home sitting in the middle of the property.

Located on the corner of Mary and Campbell streets, the property is immediately adjacent to the Mercury Bay Club hospitality venue which uses some of the property for patron parking, and is surrounded on other sides by a plethora of retail and light industrial premises including a supermarket, hardware and homeware stores, and several motor vehicle repair and maintenance garages.

The versatile site is just a few hundred metres off the town’s main shopping strip along Albert Street, while boat launching amenities onto the estuary and Whitianga Marina are located at the end of Campbell Street.

Now the freehold flat land and residential dwelling at 27 Campbell Street in Whitianga are being marketed for sale through a deadline process with Bayleys Whitianga, with offers closing on August 20. Salesperson Josh Smith said that with its commercial zoning, the address offered a huge range of redevelopment options, underpinned by the ability for any new owner to draw holding income from the comfortable residential home on site while development plans were lodged with the council.

“The rectangular-shaped site offers so much – being in Whitianga’s central business district, receiving solid vehicle and foot traffic exposure along Campbell Street, and having minimal structures currently in place,” said Smith.

“It has already been suggested that subject to council approvals, the site could easily sustain a low-rise multi-level mixed-use style premises encompassing boutique retail units at street level, with the likes of a three or four-star commercial accommodation provider operating suites on the floors above. The location’s proximity to Whitianga’s hospitality outlets along the estuary foreshore make it a prime venue for guests staying in town.

“Alternative commercial uses for the site could also include a purpose-built, terraced style, light industrial hub of tradie tenant units around 200 square metres in size. Commercial land is scarce in the town centre precinct, so subdividing the Campbell Street site into smaller parcels would certainly fill that demand gap.”

The Campbell Street/Mary Street location sits on the edge of Whitianga’s pedestrian core zone which allows for 80 percent site coverage and a build height of up to 12 metres and contains some of the town’s most visually appealing commercial and mixed-used properties.

Over the past decade, Whitianga has grown to become New Zealand’s foremost big game fishing destination – with bountiful billfish found off its shores, and anglers coming from within the country and abroad to partake in the recreational activity. Whitianga now annually hosts one of the most lucrative big game fishing events in the Southern Hemisphere, the Kubota Billfish Classic which has a potential prize pool of up to $875,000, including a $200,000 cheque for the heaviest billfish. Bayleys’ Josh Smith has been involved with the sale and lease of several properties linked to the game fishing sector.

Demographic data in Thames Coromandel District Council’s 2018-2028 Long Term Plan showcases Whitianga’s prominence in the region – spotlighting that Whitianga is one of two towns in the province to experience the biggest growth in the number of homes being built. The other township is Tairua.

“The projected dwelling and rating unit growth rate (for Whitianga) is higher than population projections due to the on-going growth in holiday homes. Mercury Bay (which includes Whitianga) is projected to experience the greatest growth in population,” the statistics-based council report noted.

“The number of houses is projected to increase across all parts of the district over the next 30 years - with an increase of around 3,580 new houses between 2018 and 2048. Much of the projected growth in the number of houses is expected to occur in the Peninsula’s popular holiday settlements – Tairua and Whitianga.”

Concurrently, Thames Coromandel District Council’s Economic Development Strategy Towards 2028 paper, notes: “The Thames-Coromandel area is currently experiencing higher than projected population growth from net migration as people look to districts, such as the Coromandel, for more affordable housing options and an improved lifestyle.”

Smith said that with Whitianga’s population continuing to grow steadily, there was also a parallel need for growing the district’s commercial property infrastructure – particularly to support the residential construction sector amongst builders, electricians, plumbers, plasterers/tiler, and painters, all of which could utilise the tradie style units mooted for 27 Campbell Street.

While private property developers are being given the opportunity to grow and improve premises within the town, such as the future for 27 Campbell Street, Thames Coromandel District Council has committed to multiple social infrastructure projects, including:

• Ongoing development of the Mercury Bay Multi-Sports Park
• Construction of car parks at Monk Street just a short distance from Albert Street
• Upgrading Whitianga town hall’s amenities
• Installing security cameras in the town’s central business district
• Establishing assisted-living and low income/pensioner housing hubs and,
• Increasing pedestrian and cycle access across the township.

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