Latest news with #SamStubbs
Otago Daily Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
600 rental homes planned in Queenstown development
Six hundred build-to-rent units are on the way for Queenstown in a $500 million Simplicity Living development. The company owned by KiwiSaver and investment funds is managed by Simplicity NZ Ltd. It has already built 210 homes across Auckland, with another 889 under construction. It has just acquired a 6.1ha site on Ladies Mile, north of the Stalker Rd roundabout, for its first development outside the City of Sails, with an aspiration to build 2000 homes in the resort. Simplicity NZ managing director Sam Stubbs said they were working closely with the Queenstown Lakes District Council on the infrastructure required to enable construction to start. Once that was in place, and they had the necessary consents, "we're ready to go". Based on the Auckland developments, the first tenants could be living there within 13 months of the start. "We've always had our eye down here, because we thought that the economics of Queenstown makes sense because it's growing, the rents are good, and there's this massive need for housing people who live here," he said. The Queenstown development will likely comprise three-storey walk-up apartments, in one-, two- and three-bed configurations, noting there was a huge gap in the market for one- and two-bedders. Two live-in managers will also be employed. The units will primarily be built using concrete, brick and local schist, with an expected lifespan of over 150 years. "The idea for us on this one ... is to do a lot of green space, a lot of carparks, a lot of outdoor storage, because it's got to be Queenstown-specific," Mr Stubbs said. While initially the homes will be for long-term rent, they may consider selling some to retirees or first-home buyers. He also believed they would be able to build them "slightly cheaper" than in Auckland and while he could not put a figure on the rental cost, he noted Simplicity Living's rents were usually 5%-10% below market value. Regardless, Queenstown rents would justify the development cost. Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust chief executive Julie Scott said the proposed development "interconnects" with the work the trust was doing. The trust had 1480 eligible households on its waiting list, "and we know that we can't ... house them all tomorrow, or even in the next few years". Before work can start, though, infrastructure to the site needs to be sorted. Mr Stubbs said Simplicity wanted to help with that, too, but noted the council was getting all of the Ladies Mile landowners together to have a look at what was required — "we've never had that happen before". Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers said the "$60 million question" was who would pay for it. "We're quite happy for [the developer] to put the infrastructure in, and then we'll offset the development contributions at the other end when it comes to creating title. "Our debt limits and our capacity to do that front-loading of infrastructure, especially within growth nodes in this district, has become quite tight. "We'll put in where we can, and where we need to, but the way we're structured financially at the moment, we're looking for partnerships to actually provide this great social benefit." However, council was committed to working it out because the outcome was "so beneficial" to the area. Mr Lewers said he had been having "quite intense" conversations with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi about potential solutions for traffic implications. "The regional deal construct certainly helps that conversation."
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Simplicity Living Buys Queenstown Land For Up To 600 Build-To-Rent Homes
Press Release – Simplicity Living We have been keen to build in Queenstown for a couple of years, and have now found the right site. Its a cracker, said Shane Brealey, Managing Director of Simplicity Living. Simplicity Living has announced the acquisition of a 6.1-hectare site on Ladies Mile in Queenstown, where it plans to build up to 600 high-quality homes for long-term rent. 'We have been keen to build in Queenstown for a couple of years, and have now found the right site. It's a cracker,' said Shane Brealey, Managing Director of Simplicity Living. 'As one of the most unaffordable and constrained housing locations in New Zealand, we prioritized bringing our high-quality, secure tenure Build-to-Rent housing solution to the region,' he said. Located near Remarkables Park, the site is close to planned schools, shops, and transport links. The homes will be built primarily using concrete, brick, and local schist, with an expected lifespan of over 150 years. The homes will have high thermal and acoustic ratings, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and common use facilities including work-from-home spaces, residents' lounges and outdoor equipment storage. Extensive landscaping will give the property a residential park atmosphere. There will also be extensive car and bike parking, with direct access to local bike trails and the planned gondola development. The historic Shotover Bridge is a 10-minute walk away, and Queenstown International Airport is just a five-minute drive away. This is the first Simplicity Living development outside Auckland, and will be its largest to date, with an estimated end value of up to $500 million. 'This is another example of the sort of thing our KiwiSaver scheme can help make possible. We think it's a good long-term investment for our members and helps provide warm, dry homes for Kiwi families, in a region that urgently needs them,' said Sam Stubbs, Managing Director of KiwiSaver default provider Simplicity. Glyn Lewers, the Mayor of Queenstown welcomed the announcement. 'We're thrilled that Simplicity Living is bringing this much-needed rental product to the Whakatipu housing market. The addition of up to 600 new Build-to-Rent homes will be a game changer for our community, offering secure long-term rentals'. 'It's a tangible step forward in delivering Action 5D of the Joint Housing Action Plan – working with developers to facilitate and deliver diverse housing options, including Build-to-Rent developments,' he said. Simplicity Living currently has 889 homes under construction across Auckland, including in Remuera, Mt Wellington and Morningside, and announced last week that it will start building another 93 homes in Northcote by the end of the year. Its long-term plan is to build up to 10,000 homes across New Zealand for secure, long-term renting. Simplicity Living is owned by KiwiSaver and Investment Funds managed by Simplicity NZ Ltd.
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Simplicity Living Buys Queenstown Land For Up To 600 Build-To-Rent Homes
Press Release – Simplicity Living We have been keen to build in Queenstown for a couple of years, and have now found the right site. Its a cracker, said Shane Brealey, Managing Director of Simplicity Living. Simplicity Living has announced the acquisition of a 6.1-hectare site on Ladies Mile in Queenstown, where it plans to build up to 600 high-quality homes for long-term rent. Simplicity Living – Queenstown land. Photo/Supplied. 'We have been keen to build in Queenstown for a couple of years, and have now found the right site. It's a cracker,' said Shane Brealey, Managing Director of Simplicity Living. 'As one of the most unaffordable and constrained housing locations in New Zealand, we prioritized bringing our high-quality, secure tenure Build-to-Rent housing solution to the region,' he said. Located near Remarkables Park, the site is close to planned schools, shops, and transport links. The homes will be built primarily using concrete, brick, and local schist, with an expected lifespan of over 150 years. The homes will have high thermal and acoustic ratings, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and common use facilities including work-from-home spaces, residents' lounges and outdoor equipment storage. Extensive landscaping will give the property a residential park atmosphere. There will also be extensive car and bike parking, with direct access to local bike trails and the planned gondola development. The historic Shotover Bridge is a 10-minute walk away, and Queenstown International Airport is just a five-minute drive away. This is the first Simplicity Living development outside Auckland, and will be its largest to date, with an estimated end value of up to $500 million. 'This is another example of the sort of thing our KiwiSaver scheme can help make possible. We think it's a good long-term investment for our members and helps provide warm, dry homes for Kiwi families, in a region that urgently needs them,' said Sam Stubbs, Managing Director of KiwiSaver default provider Simplicity. Glyn Lewers, the Mayor of Queenstown welcomed the announcement. 'We're thrilled that Simplicity Living is bringing this much-needed rental product to the Whakatipu housing market. The addition of up to 600 new Build-to-Rent homes will be a game changer for our community, offering secure long-term rentals'. 'It's a tangible step forward in delivering Action 5D of the Joint Housing Action Plan – working with developers to facilitate and deliver diverse housing options, including Build-to-Rent developments,' he said. Simplicity Living currently has 889 homes under construction across Auckland, including in Remuera, Mt Wellington and Morningside, and announced last week that it will start building another 93 homes in Northcote by the end of the year. Its long-term plan is to build up to 10,000 homes across New Zealand for secure, long-term renting. Simplicity Living is owned by KiwiSaver and Investment Funds managed by Simplicity NZ Ltd. Content Sourced from Original url
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Kiwisaver provider Simplicity to build 600 long-term rental houses in Queenstown
Simplicity Living directors (from left) Shane Brealey, Anna Brealey, Sam Stubbs, and Andrew Lance on site at an earlier development in Auckland. Photo: Supplied Kiwisaver provider Simplicity is to spend hundreds of million dollars on building up to 600 long-term rental houses in Queenstown. It has bought a six-hectare site on Ladies Mile for the build-to-rent development aimed at answering the need for affordable housing in the central Otago town. The head of Simplicity, Sam Stubbs, said the development stacked up financially and socially, and was the sort of investment that Kiwisaver funds should be looking at . "This is another example of the sort of thing our Kiwisaver scheme can help make possible. We think it's a good long-term investment for our members and helps provide warm, dry homes for Kiwi families, in a region that urgently needs them." He said it was the first development outside of Auckland for its housing arm, Simplicity Living. "We've been looking around the country, and Queenstown is the obvious place, which needs good long-term rental options for people who work in the town -- nurses, teachers and cops some of whom are now commuting from Cromwell now." Stubbs said Simplicity had looked at expanding into Wellington and Christchurch, but was not convinced at the moment. He said the capital had infrastructure risks such as earthquakes and water, while the commercial return in Christchurch did not not stack up because an oversupply of properties has lowered returns. Location of the planned Simplicity housing development in Queenstown. Photo: Supplied / Simplicity Living Queenstown mayor Glyn Lewers said the development was "much-needed". "The addition of up to 600 new Build-to-Rent homes will be a game changer for our community, offering secure long-term rentals. "It's a tangible step forward in delivering [part] of the Joint Housing Action Plan - working with developers to facilitate and deliver diverse housing options." The development site is located near Remarkables Park, close to planned schools, shops, and transport links. The homes would be built primarily using concrete, brick, and local schist, with high thermal and acoustic ratings, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and common use facilities. The Shotover Bridge is a 10-minute walk away, and Queenstown Airport is just a five-minute drive away. Simplicity is currently building just under 900 homes in various parts of Auckland. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Tranmere Rovers v Shrewsbury Town
Update: Date: 45'+2 Title: Post Content: Delay over. They are ready to continue. Update: Date: 45'+1 Title: Post Content: Delay in match because of an injury Sam Stubbs (Shrewsbury Town). Update: Date: 45'+1 Title: Post Content: Fourth official has announced 2 minutes of added time. Update: Date: 45' Title: Post Content: Corner,Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Cameron Norman. Update: Date: 45' Title: Post Content: Foul by Richard Smallwood (Tranmere Rovers). Update: Date: 45' Title: Post Content: Anthony Scully (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Update: Date: 40' Title: Post Content: Hand ball by Sam Stubbs (Shrewsbury Town). Update: Date: 38' Title: Post Content: Attempt missed. Will Boyle (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by George Nurse with a cross. Update: Date: 38' Title: Post Content: Attempt blocked. Alex Gilliead (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Will Boyle. Update: Date: 35' Title: Post Content: Foul by Taylan Harris (Tranmere Rovers). Update: Date: 35' Title: Post Content: Harrison Biggins (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Update: Date: 34' Title: Post Content: Lee O'Connor (Tranmere Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Update: Date: 34' Title: Post Content: Foul by John Marquis (Shrewsbury Town). Update: Date: 33' Title: Post Content: Corner,Tranmere Rovers. Conceded by Tom Anderson. Update: Date: 32' Title: Post Content: Delay over. They are ready to continue. Update: Date: 31' Title: Post Content: Delay in match because of an injury John Marquis (Shrewsbury Town). Update: Date: 30' Title: Post Content: Foul by Nathan Smith (Tranmere Rovers). Update: Date: 30' Title: Post Content: Sam Stubbs (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Update: Date: 29' Title: Post Content: Delay over. They are ready to continue. Update: Date: 29' Title: Post Content: Delay in match (Tranmere Rovers).
