Rich lister’s mega- mansion swallows up 16 addresses

Planned luxury development on secluded cove likely to be New Zealand’s most valuable home, reports Anne Gibson

Amansion is about to rise at one of Auckland’s most scenic waterfront spots, built on a site so large it has 16 separate street addresses.

The home and surrounding grounds are thought to be the country’s most valuable residential property, with one real estate expert saying the land value alone would top $ 50 million. Plans obtained by the Weekend

Herald have revealed the future shape of the 1.5ha Stanley Pt property near Devonport. They include the demolition of an old residence and building of a stately “English- cottage style” home, plus two jetties and a boatshed as big as a small house fronting Secret Cove on Ngataringa Bay.

The northeast- facing home, surrounded by groves of native trees teeming with native birdlife, will also be extremely private.

Much of the land has been in the wealthy Spencer family for three generations, initially in the hands of Berridge Spencer snr, whose son John Spencer died this year in Britain.

Plans for the development were submitted to Auckland Council by Wendy Baverstock of planning and resource management consultancy Isle Land. The plans show the 16 addresses owned by one entity.

The NBR Rich List says the Spencer family is one of the country’s wealthiest at $ 720m.

Now, a company whose directors include John Spencer’s son, businessman Berridge Spencer — listed by the Companies Office as living in Surrey, England — has made a resource consent application, assessed as not needing notification.

Tokoeka Properties, of which Berridge Spencer is a director, has applied to build on the 15,428sq msite — the equivalent of two rugby fields in a city where plots of only 300sq mare sometimes used for three- bedroom homes with two- car garages.

Quotable Value lists the site’s main house as dating back to 1914- 29, but Baverstock’s report cited Veron Building Consultants: “The existing dwelling is in poor physical condition, including showing signs of dampness and rotting. There may also be asbestos present.” The house, not visible from the street, had no historical significance and was not a pure example of a Spanish Mission style house due to the extensions in 1936, 1940 and 1959, the report said.

A new, two- level, dark brown brick and timber- clad dwelling with steel joinery and chimneys will be “a modern interpretation of an English cottage style”, plans for the Stanley Pt property show.

That house will have a 34sq m porte cochere ( a covered front porch for vehicles), 77sq m pool room/ guest house to the east with bedroom and en suite, open pergola to link that guest house to the main dwelling, a pool and spa on the north of the main new residence, 42sq m outdoor room covered by a glass roof with retractable blinds and a four- car garage, according to planning documents. The first floor will be 239sq m with a master bedroom, en suite, walk- in wardrobe, storeroom and t wo additional bedrooms.

Dave Serjeant, the councilappointed duty commissioner who reviewed the application to see if it should be publicly notified, wrote on August 30 that the resource consent should proceed on a non- notified basis. Documents showed the new house was designed by architects Sumich Chaplin for Berridge and Olivia Spencer.

Ollie Wall of Graham Wall Real Estate said the land value alone was mouth- watering.

“A property of that scale on Auckland’s waterfront could easily sell in the vicinity of $ 50m. It’s what the whole world wants and there’s no price limit on paradise.”

New Zealand’s most expensive property sale to date is thought to be the seven- bedroom mansion on Paritai Drive, Orakei, partly financed by former Hanover Finance director Mark Hotchin, which was sold to businessman Deyi Shi in 2013 for $ 39m.

Chris Darby, an Auckland councillor whose family home abuts the property being developed, praised the plans, which Serjeant’s report showed would remove 15 protected pohutukawa, macrocarpa and liquidambar trees.

“I’m encouraged by the development. We’re dealing with a private estate, in the Spencer family name for three generations and they have held most of that land since the 1920s, with Berridge Spencer snr building the Spanish mission- style house,” Darby said. “The Spencers have proven themselves fearsome protectors of great trees. It’s a wonderful, park- like estate — many of the locals would say ‘ that’s where all our birds come from’ and one of the [ city’s only] pohutukawa canopies not wrecked by excessive, constant hacking and pruning. The existing house is hardly habitable, run- down, built of very lightweight materials.”

Serjeant wrote that demolition of the existing house would “have no adverse impact on heritage values given its highly modified nature and limited historic heritage character”.

Tree removal would be mitigated by replacement planting, he said.

Discretionary activities included extending a driveway into the rootzone of a protected tree, site works exposing 2421sq m of bare earth, demolishing an existing house and establishing four new dwellings on the site, Serjeant’s report said.

The Weekend Herald approached Baverstock for comment from her client but had not received any by press time.

It’s what the whole world wants and there’s no price limit on paradise. Ollie Wall, realtor It’s a wonderful park- like estate — many locals would say ‘ that’s where all our birds come from’. Chris Darby, neighbour