$13m spent on luxury homes

Nearly $13million is being spent on some of Marine Parade's multimillion-dollar luxury properties - including new homes, swimming pools and lifts.

City council public records show nearly $7.4million in improvements, new homes and foundation building registered this year and another $5.3million of work consented last year is still being completed.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said the Marine Parade boom was encouraging and showed a sign of confidence, and Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dave Burnett said the construction could "only be a good thing" for local businesses and employment.

Records show the priciest home building project this year along Marine Parade, No161, totals $2.5million. Of that, $2million is for underground services, foundations and structure. The stone and timber two-storey home has consent for a lift and swimming pool.

The property's land alone is valued at $2million, according to the most recent council revaluation at July 2012.

Two projects tie for second most expensive.

One belongs to businessman and philanthropist Gareth Morgan, who's spending $1.5million to reroof, reclad and have remedial work done on his home at 26 Marine Parade across from Mount Drury.

The council's capital valuation of Morgan's property is nearly $5.4million. Land value is listed at nearly $4million.

At 192A&B consent has been given to remove a three-bedroom house once listed on a real estate site as an "ultimate beach batch" [sic].

Removing that ultimate bach, erecting the new home, plus in-ground pool and fences, is valued at $1.5million. The combined land value is listed at $1.8million.

Third most expensive is 173 Marine Parade, where a dwelling is being removed to build two homes with lifts for nearly $1.3million.

The land is valued at close to $1.9million.

Fourth on the register is a new home at 22A Marine Parade. It has a project value of $765,000 with consent for an in-ground pool.

The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend tried to contact the Marine Parade homeowners. They either declined to be interviewed or did not respond, or could not be contacted.

Mr Crosby said the Marine Parade boom was encouraging.

"That particular catchment is quite indicative of the whole city, both residential and commercial.

"There's a lot of rebuild starting to happen in the CBD, which is good and new tenants are starting to arrive as a consequence."

Mr Crosby said Priority One building consent value figures during the past 12 months had shown a 30 per cent upswing on the year before, with a monthly average of $30million to $40million.

Mr Burnett said the $13million worth of Marine Parade construction could "only be a good thing".

"I think we've been through the tough times in this region and we are starting to see some positive things," he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.

"When you have that kind of building going on - the window guys, the framing guys, the concrete guys - it helps create employment ... And we know there's a lot of building happening around with construction permits but Marine Parade - that's brilliant.

It's really positive stuff for the local economy."

Retired Aucklander Phil Lawson, who replaced the family's old stucco holiday home at 58 Marine Parade with a new house in 2001, said the changes had definitely been for the better.

"The construction of modern houses has lifted values and given Marine Parade a mature and sophisticated appearance."

Mr Lawson made special mention of the resowing of the sand dunes with native dune vegetation.

It had enhanced the environment, and the outlook from across the road.

His family had owned the property since the 1980s.