15 July 2019

 

South Wairarapa District Council is in the process of having two easements extinguished on its vacant commercial lot at 57 Fitzherbert St in Featherston.

 

This move is in preparation for the sale of the land, which will be sold using a tender process, with both financial and non-financial considerations taken into account when councillors make their final decision on the successful buyer.

 

Last week, Chorus agreed to the significant reduction in size of an easement [referred to as easement B on the plan], which protects important cables that make up part of its national communications network.

 

Reducing the six metre-wide easement B to about two metres will have a positive impact on selling the section as it allows more room to build and means the Council will fetch a higher price. 

 

SWDC is also working through the process of removing easement A from the property’s title.

 

A subcommittee, comprising of the three Featherston Ward councillors and the chairperson of the Featherston Community Board, has been set up to oversee the sale of the commercial section, which will be marketed by Bayleys Real Estate.

 

At a meeting in May, the 57 Fitzherbert Street Featherston Subcommittee, which also includes SWDC Chief Executive Harry Wilson and Amenities Manager Bryce Neems, approved conditions under which the property would be sold.

 

They agreed upon an open tender process, this being the most transparent method that would also help establish market value.

 

Tenders will be initially evaluated and ranked on non-financial considerations. This ranking will then be compared with the prices offered.

 

The highest financial offer will not necessarily be accepted.

 

The successful tender (if any) will be that which provides the best value proposition for the District.

 

Council previously attempted to sell the block of land, however the sale fell through due to complications with easements and the Chorus duct located on the property.

 

Since then Council has engaged with the Featherston community through the Featherston Community Board to establish what residents wanted to see done with the site.

 

The recommendation that came out of this community engagement was that Council should sell the site to be used for commercial purposes.

 

Funds from the sale of the Featherston vacant land will be held in the district property reserve and ring-fenced for a significant project or projects within the Featherston ward boundary, with the Featherston Community Board invited to recommend to Council initiatives that could be funded from this source.

 

ENDS

 

Media contact

 

Amy Wharram

 

027 252 2863