Factory tomakeway for homes
A century-old tobacco processing plant site is set to be converted into 95 townhouses.
An application to build the residential development on the Imperial Tobacco factory site in Lower Hutt was registered with the Hutt City Council in October.
Developer Craig Stewart said there would be a mix of two- and three-bedroom units aimed at the affordable housing market across a 12,061-square-metre area.
He said house prices in Petone were closing in on the milliondollar mark and the area was in need of affordable housing.
Stewart could not say where prices would start, and said work at the site would not begin until ‘‘well into next year’’.
He had been involved with a comparable 70-townhouse Ngauranga development, North Point, that had been popular with firstand second-home buyers.
He bought the 2.25-hectare Petone site in mid-2020 with fellow developer Richard Burrell, who is using part of the property for an 85-unit business park.
Seventy-two of the units had sold to a variety of mostly owneroccupier ventures, including a bike shop, a gin distillery, artists and a cafe.
High demand for the units was an indication of how popular Petone had become as a place to live and do business, Burrell said.
Plans were to clear the existing factory buildings and structures to make way for the residential and business developments, Stewart said.
Apartments and townhouses have recently become more popular in Lower Hutt, with multiple developments popping up around the city.
They have become an affordable alternative to detached dwellings. House prices have been sent soaring as Hutt’s growing population competes for limited stock.
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand figures show the median house price in the city reached an all-time high of $761,000 last month. In the same month last year the price was $565,000.
Entire developments are being snapped up by desperate buyers within hours of being listed.
The tobacco plant was opened in 1919 by WD & HOWills.
It was bought by Imperial Tobacco in the 1990s to manufacture products for the Australasian market.
Brands made at the plant included JPS, Riverstone and Horizon.
In July, Imperial confirmed the factory would cease manufacturing by the end of September this year with the loss of 122 jobs.