Avalon calling for keen lease holders

Closure of Avalon workshop for disabled: Tania Wilson (commercial manager), Helen Brownlie (change manager) and Karel Driessen (board chairman). Photo/John Borren

Te Puna's Avalon site, which assists disadvantaged or disabled people, is moving into the city and its owners are calling for people to lease their original site.

The not-for-profit organisation, Equality Property Trust - which owns the TePuna site that has been home to Avalon since the late 1980s - is calling for parties interested in leasing the site. Those looking to lease the property will have to enable disabled or disadvantaged people to learn or work in some way.

This is in line with the Equality Property Trust's (EPT) focus on training disadvantaged people and creating a career pathway for them, says trustee Don Pilbrow.

"One of our key objectives is to support, subsidise and encourage courses of training and education within New Zealand for disadvantaged and disabled people, which will advance and promote the ability of such people to find employment in the community.
Therefore the rent is negotiable for the right tenant as EPT wants to help those who help others with disadvantages," Mr Pilbrow said.

The property currently tenanted by Avalon includes a nursery, wood workshop, sewing workshop, administration block, commercial kitchen, training rooms, shop and more.

It has the potential for new tenants to utilise the space in different ways - the front of the building, for example, has the potential to be a café. Its use will, naturally, need to comply with Council zoning regulations, he said.

The property has potential to be leased by one or more tenants. It will be available from October.

EPT owns six hectares across two properties. The main property features the assortment of buildings currently leased to Avalon, while the other title is dedicated to avocados and kiwifruit.

EPT purchased the "Avalon" land in 1986 and set up a variety of buildings to cater for the needs of the trainees. The adjoining kiwifruit property was bought at a later date.

Avalon has been EPT's major beneficiary since 1991. The Trust has made donations to Avalon for major capital expenditure, for example, and to fund recreational activities enjoyed by trainees and their supervisors.

Those wishing to know more about the EPT property can contact Don on don@lal.co.nz or visit www.propertytrust.co.nz.