Mushroom farm to retirement village
Leading mushroom growers Meadow Mushrooms, owned by richlister Philip Burdon and family, has sold its mushroom factory site in Prebbleton, south Christchurch, to retirement village developers and operators Summerset Group.
The 9-hectare property in Springs Rd, Prebbleton, is the site of the company’s original mushroom-growing factory but most of the growing, harvesting and packaging operations now take place at the Wilmers Rd, Hornby, site.
The factory site is in the heart of the new suburb where subdivisions have burgeoned in the past 20 years and is now surrounded by homes. It has been the subject of odour complaints from residents.
Meadow Mushrooms was cofounded by Burdon and friend Roger Giles in 1970. Some operations from Prebbleton have shifted to the Wilmers Rd operation, where the company has expanded in the past nine years.
Summerset said the $150 million-plus village would have about 290 homes, including twoand three-bedroom villas, apartments, serviced apartments, rest home and hospital level care, as well as Summerset’s Memory Care Centre for people living with dementia.
Chief executive Julian Cook said Prebbleton was a growth area where there were plans for a new retail precinct, supermarket, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy and cafe to be built in the village area.
‘‘We are delighted to have secured a site in Prebbleton, which is well-suited to people who want to retire to a semi-rural setting but want to be close to the conveniences of a city,’’ Cook said.
In Prebbleton a, the number of people aged 75-plus was forecast to increase by 80 per cent over the next decade. The number of people of 75-plus was about 4300 people.
The mushroom-processing plant on the site was expected to exit by the middle of next year.
The buildings would be removed and the site remediated before village construction began, he said.
‘‘Total investment in the village construction will exceed $150m and will employ more than 300 people during the building phase.
Up to 70 further permanent jobs will be created when the village opens,’’ Cook said. ‘‘An opening date has not yet been determined, but design and consenting work will start immediately.’’
In Christchurch, Summerset also operates retirement villages in Wigram, Casebrook and Avonhead.
In the past 18 months Summerset had focused on buying a mix of large sites on urban fringes, retirement destinations and high growth regional centres.
In Wellington, Summerset has three established villages in Porirua, Trentham and Paraparaumu and is building another at present in Kenepuru.
The Summerset village in the subdivision of Kenepuru Landing will have 290 homes, including twoand three-bedroom villas and apartments, one-bedroom serviced apartments and high-quality resthome and hospital care.
Summerset is also planning to build a new retirement village in Lower Hutt and has bought land in Waikanae for a new development there also.
Summerset said it also had the green light for its proposed retirement village in St Johns, in Auckland’s eastern suburbs, following approval of the resource consent by the Environment Court.
Cook said St Johns had very few retirement or aged care options. It would accommodate more than 400 residents.
The village would offer the full continuum of care, from independent living and serviced apartments, to a care centre with rest home and hospital care, as well as a Memory Care Centre for people living with dementia.
The village would have two- to six-storey buildings. The taller buildings would be located along the eastern boundary, furthest away from residential neighbours. They would border St Johns Bush and St Johns Theological College and enjoy views over Auckland City and Rangitoto Island at the higher levels.
Summerset operates five villages in the Auckland region, and another two are in the planning stages in Milldale and Parnell.
Summerset reported an underlying profit of $47.8m for the first half of this year and the purchase of land for its first retirement village in Melbourne, Australia.