Carterton building consents climbing

NEW BUILDS: Building consents in Carterton are on the rise, with work on new subdivisions picking up. PHOTO/FILE

Building consents in Carterton are rising, with an almost 16 per cent increase last year.

A total of 304 building consents were processed in the last financial year, up 15.58 per cent from the previous year.

And a total of $23 million worth of building and alterations took place last year, with $14.6 million worth of new dwellings being built, show council figures.

There were 51 applications for new dwellings and 45 applications for alterations or additions to dwellings.

Managing director of Jennian Homes Wairarapa, Gareth Norris, said there had been a recent lift in the Carterton market, with the firm working on about six new builds in the town.

"It's just starting to see a boost in construction in the next sort of six months.

"It's showing positive signs. There's steady demand for new houses in Carterton."

The demand for new dwellings was likely to last for the next 12 months as subdivisions in Belvedere Rd and at the northern and southern ends of town came on board, he said.

"It still has quality subdivisions at affordable rates. It's still the affordable commuter town and it's got a reasonable number of sections available."

Lower interest rates might be boosting the confidence of home-buyers, Mr Norris said.

Carterton District Council planning and regulatory manager Milan Hautler said consents had been rising slowly for several years.

"I'm not absolutely sure why, but they've been picking up gradually over the last two or three years, and each year has been that much higher. The work still seems to be out there."

While consents had increased, the overall value of the building work remained the same as the previous year, possibly due to some large commercial buildings pushing up values, Mr Hautler said. Filling land parcels from previous subdivisions and developments had made for a busy year, with the town's increase in population possibly driving some of the demand, he said.

"I suppose that can be seen in the number of people using the railway to commute to Wellington and the Hutt Valley.

"Quite a number have come over to Wairarapa and Carterton, and hopefully that will continue."