Commercial builds flourish

Andrew Coker from Priority One talking about building consents at the Old Grumpy Mole site on the corner of Harrington St and The Strand. Photo / John Borren

Private commercial development is soaring ahead in Tauranga with nearly $13.2 million worth of building consents processed last month - almost seven times higher than the same time last year.

This comes on top of $16.1 million of commercial building given the go-ahead in March.

Fifteen commercial consents, worth $13.2 million, were granted for private businesses compared to $11.3 million the previous month and just $253,000 worth of government and community projects.

In April 2013, $1.9 million of private commercial consents were granted in Tauranga.

The big projects approved by Tauranga City Council last month included the $9 million Countdown in Bureta, due to open in October, stage one of a warehouse development in the Tauriko Business Estate worth $900,000 and the $900,000 fit out of the new Lone Star restaurant being built on The Strand.

Lone Star owners Trevor and Jaqui Donaghy said they hoped to be operating from their new building at the old Grumpy Mole site on The Strand by mid-June.

Mr Donaghy said the last of the windows were going in.

"We're at that stage now where the lining's going in and everything starts to happen really quickly," he said.

The restaurant moved to a temporary site at 100 Devonport Rd when the old building was demolished at the end of November but they were looking forward to being back with a new building. "We're not doing the same sort of numbers we were doing on The Strand but we always expected that. If people are going to eat they go to The Strand," he said.

The Western-themed restaurant would occupy 500 sq m on the ground floor and half of the first floor and cater to more than 180 diners.

The remainder of the three-storey building would be occupied by offices with space for between one and three tenants.

Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker said the number of commercial and residential developments in Tauranga was a promising sign for the city.

"I think the commercial consents have been positive for a few months now and my take on it is that businesses have got their heads up after the global financial crisis. There's been a lot of activity in the Tauriko Business Estate," he said. "Equally, it's still pretty good on residential."

The first of about 40 Brother staff members had begun to move into town and at least two had already bought land, he said.

The 50 residential consents worth $17.7 million issued last month was slightly down on March but a fraction higher than the same time last year.

Tauranga building consents in April

*50 residential consents, worth $17.7 million
*15 private commercial consents worth $13.2 million
*4 government and community consents worth $253,000
*161 consents in total worth $34.8 million