Queenstown Special Housing Area land ripe for residential development

A large block of land on the market on Ladies Mile, Queenstown, is expected to appeal to residential developers due to its proposed Special Housing Area (SHA) status, according to the Colliers International brokers marketing the sale.

The 9.38 hectare site, consisting of two separate freehold titles at 6 and 8 Layton Lane and adjacent to Ladies Mile/State Highway 6, is for sale by tender with offers closing on April 20. Prospective buyers may tender for either title individually or both sites together. Colliers broker Barry Robertson, who is handling the sale with colleague Steve McIsaac, says the sale presents a compelling opportunity to secure a large parcel of land in a prime location, adjoining a wider area which has seen over 1500 lots developed over the last 16 years. “The potential to subdivide these sites and develop a housing project is likely to have great appeal among residential developers. Queenstown’s much-publicised housing shortage shows no sign of abating, rents are still high and new releases of sites in nearby subdivisions are quickly taken up.” Queenstown Lakes District Council agreed to include the Ladies Mile area in its SHA lead policy in October 2017, says McIsaac. “The Layton Lane properties include both high and medium density opportunities under the QLDC’S indicative master plan, allowing terraced homes and apartments to be built on the site.” Both properties are flat and easy to develop, in a rapidly-expanding location with good access and panoramic views of The Remarkables and other surrounding mountains, says Robertson. “These sites are ideally suited to residential development given their location between Frankton and Lake Hayes. Frankton has become a major commercial and residential hub in recent years, with the success of several major developments proving the attractiveness of the area among retailers, industrial businesses and local residents.” The Remarkables Park retail centre extension, Five Mile, Queenstown Central, Queenstown Airport extensions, the new Wakatipu High School, the Hawthorne Drive extension and large residential subdivisions such as Shotover Country are some of the most notable property and infrastructure projects in recent years, he says. The site at 6 Layton Lane is 4.56ha in size and includes a substantial modern home. 8 Layton Lane is a slightly larger 4.82ha site with an approved building platform and privacy landscaping in place. The properties are located on a private lane off Stalker Rd, which is accessed via a roundabout from Ladies Mile/State Highway 6. The site is approximately 10km northeast of central Queenstown and 3km west of Lake Hayes. The Shotover Country subdivision, located to the south of the property, will eventually include 800-900 homes, local shops along with the recently-opened Shotover Primary School. Combined with the neighbouring Lake Hayes Estate and the upcoming Queenstown Country Club retirement village, there is already a strong and growing residential community established in the area, McIsaac says.