Large residential blocks for sale in regional park
A former farm homestead in the middle of a seaside regional park, and a large block of land immediately beside the same public recreational open space have been placed on the market for sale.
The two residential properties are located in Long Bay on Auckland’s North Shore – one in the middle of seaside Long Bay Regional Park and the other on the park’s inland boundary atop a ridgeline with unobstructed views overlooking the beach.
The two sites are located at:
■ 251 Vaughans Rd, known as Piripiri Point Ridge – a 7.32ha undeveloped pasture-like property with two zonings – the first being rural – countryside living, and the second being residential large lot,
■ 1161 Beach Rd – known as Farmhouse – a 3.46ha freehold title property containing a three-bedroom home with five garages and a twobedroom bach, all located within Long Bay Regional Park.
The freehold properties are being marketed for sale through Bayleys Auckland. The Piripiri Point Ridge property is for sale by deadline private treaty closing on April 29, while Farmhouse 1161 Beach Rd is being sold by tender, closing on April 29. Bayleys Auckland salesperson John Greenwood said he could not remember a property located within an Auckland regional park ever coming up for sale before.
Greenwood said the land and buildings at Farmhouse 1161 Beach Rd were zoned open space – conservation zone, which acknowledged that the property was located entirely within a regional park. The site also has historic heritage and special character overlays under the Auckland Council Plan.
“These covenants in effect mean that while further additional buildings are not permitted on the property, there is the possibility with appropriate council consents to redevelop the existing footprint to create a very upmarket dwelling,” Greenwood said.
“Initial building plans have been drafted for a modernisation of the dwellings to create a single-level fourbedroom home in one wing, linked to the kitchen, dining and living room areas in another wing via a covered walkway running alongside a spa, infinity pool, and terraced al fresco courtyard area with a BBQ.
“All of this has been designed to match the envelope of the existing structures on site, with the main dwelling overlaid on the existing home and garages footprint, and the living space wing replacing what is presently the small rustic style bach.”
Greenwood said the flat elevated residential dwelling site for sale within the regional park had extensive sea views across the beach to Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Tiritiri Matangi Island. It is just a few hundred metres walk from Long Bay Beach – walking across the recreational grassed parkland.
“While the property is primarily accessed through the regional park’s internal sealed roading network, there is also a private driveway easement connecting the Farmhouse to Glenvar Ridge Road in a more direct route from the new Long Bay Village centre,” he said.
Greenwood said that the undeveloped land at 251 Vaughans Rd was at the other end of the spectrum – offering any new owner the opportunity to build a stately mansion befitting of the views presented from the ridgeline topography.
“With an elevated aspect on the seaward side of the road, and unobstructed bush and sea views over the outer Hauraki Gulf, there is a nominated building platform which sits outside of the protection areas where an executive manor-style home could be built,” he said.
“Architectural designer concept plans for a stately two-storey residence have already been prepared as an indication of what could be created on site. The proposed grand homestead has a private guest wing, four bedrooms – each with their own en-suite facilities – two lounges, a grand dining hall, conservatory, and library.”
He said that with the address bordering the inner bush areas of Long Bay Regional Park, the property had natural heritage and outstanding natural landscape overlays on it, meaning the site had to remain as one large block.
“There is a chance that one or both of these properties could be bought by a benefactor and gifted back to Auckland Council with the purpose of unifying and expanding Long Bay Regional Park,” said Greenwood.
“Such a precedent has already been set by the ‘father of Auckland’ – the legendary Sir John Logan Campbell who gifted the 93 hectares of what was his One Tree Hill domain residence to Auckland Council in 1901, renaming it Cornwall Park in honour of the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall to the city that year.
“It would be nice to think Kiwis view these sites at Long Bay Regional Park in a similar vein – perhaps opening the door for a high net-worth Auckland philanthropist to take up the reigns and lead a campaign to buy them with a view to replicating Sir John Logan Campbell’s historic act of generosity.”
Sitting at the northern-most point of Auckland’s North Shore coastal strip, Long Bay has a substantial retail hub containing bars, cafes, a New World supermarket, as well as a primary and high school. The location is best known, however, for Long Bay Regional Park where hundreds of mature pohutukawa trees offer shade to the thousands of visitors to the venue most weekends over summer.
Long Bay is a master-planned community by Templeton Group. The blend of stunning coastal landscape with fine urban design creates an incredible and enviable lifestyle.
Every aspect has been considered including a significant number of reserves and parks dotted throughout Long Bay providing high quality community common areas, and the road layout has been designed to provide view corridors to the sea and islands of the Hauraki Gulf.
At the heart of Long Bay and surrounded by the community, is the central village.