$1.3m for historic lodge revamp
"Of course, people who have student loans should pay them back, but the very punitive approach being taken . . . is actually discouraging people from coming home."
A developer will spend $1.3 million creating a cafe in Christchurch’s historic Spreydon Lodge.
Danne Mora Holdings is creating the Meadowlands subdivision on the land under Spreydon Lodge in Halswell.
Spreydon Lodge is not heritage listed but it is one of the oldest remaining houses in southwestern Christchurch.
The suburb of Spreydon is named after the house.
Danne Mora plans to move Spreydon Lodge a short distance, reorient it, and renovate the interior into an open-plan design. The exterior would remain mostly as-is.
The Christchurch City Council last week agreed to waive almost $144,000 required in development contributions (DCs) for converting the house into a cafe.
In its application, Danne Mora said the cafe would be a benefit to the community and would not make any money for the company.
The council was told the project would not go ahead if the company had to pay DCs.
‘‘From an economic perspective it would make more sense for Danne Mora to demolish the building,’’ the council was told.
Councillors agreed the development was unique and compelling enough to warrant the remission.
DCs are charged to pay for infrastructure relating to developments.
There are strict laws regarding how such contributions are charged and what they can be used for.
They can be waived in certain circumstances.
The Meadowlands subdivision will create 320 new homes with 22 per cent designed to provide smaller, affordable homes.
The homes are expected to sell for between $220,000 and $370,000.
In June, the council decided against waiving DCs for the Catholic Church as it built a new site for St Paul’s School after the original site was red-zoned.
In a close vote the council decided it did not pass the bar of a ‘‘unique and compelling’’ case.
Wellington Girls' College maths teacher Margaret Priest