Link road on the wishlist

THE biggest ticket item on the Waitaki District Council’s wishlist of new projects in the coming year is a $400,000 link road in the North Oamaru Business Park.

WaitakiMayor Gary Kircher said the longterm view for the park had always been to create a link road allowing full access between Kororo Rd and TY Duncan Rd — ‘‘all the way through the three parcels of land’’.

The proposed road would add value, he said, to the council’s 8ha of land on the 22ha site.

Mr Kircher said the council had facilitated growth at the park.

‘‘We’ve got the bit of land that owes us — ratepayers and council — money because it was bought years ago. And we do need to get a return on that, so the point that we do sell it, that’s all good, we’ll get money back and that will go back in the kitty,’’ he said.

‘‘It [the link road] helps make sure that we’ve got a good cohesive business park out there that is going to look good from one end to the other.’’

Spivey Real Estate Ltd agent Tony Spivey said 12 of the 17 sections in the 10ha Stage 1 development had sold to date with new buildings to be constructed at the site soon.

Spivey Real Estate Ltd, which has exclusive sale rights for Stage 1, lists serviced lot prices ranging from $110 per sq m to $155 per sq m on its website.

The majority of the businesses at the park were established businesses that required the space to grow, Mr Spivey said, but the park was attracting national interest.

‘‘It’s a very positive mood,’’ Mr Spivey said. ‘‘More and more life is being created here all the time.’’

The council’s draft annual plan proposes a 1% rates rise and $2,314,000 spending on 16 new projects in the coming year.

Its consultation document calls for comments on a link road ‘‘enabling safer and more freeflowing movement of heavy and commercial vehicles’’.

Council assets group manager Neil Jorgensen said the project was not in the longterm plan, but was expected to be paid for either from the sale of the council’s land at the site or from development contributions.

There was some concern that if the council sold its land in the area and had not established the road, the road would not be built.

hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz

PHOTOS: HAMISH MACLEAN Strategic . . . With 12 of 17 sections at the roughly 10ha industrial and commercial business park in North Oamaru sold, Spivey Real Estate Ltd agent Tony Spivey says both established North Otago businesses and those new to the area have expressed...