Havelock North subdivision will transform Bull Hill, first sections on sale

One of the largest property developments in Hawke’s Bay will transform the site of a Havelock North landmark.

Bull Hill is at the centre of the new Iona Havelock North subdivision, but the bull sculpture from which the reserve gets its name will remain untouched.

The land the subdivision sits on was the subject of a two-year court battle between CDL and a rival developer, which was resolved last year.

Darren Soo, development manager for developer CDL, said the variety of section sizes on offer have the potential to attract a diverse group of buyers to the neighbourhood.

The first eight freehold sections, of an eventual 300 sections which will house between 1000 and 1500 people, became available for purchase on Thursday through Bayleys Hawke’s Bay.

A commercial precinct and designed public spaces including walkways and play areas have been planned to serve the new neighbourhood and the Bull Hill area will be a central part of that.

Stage one section sizes range from 400 to 800sq m, but larger sections up to 4000sq m will become available as later stages open.

There will also be the option in later stages to purchase “three- and four-bedroom house and land packages” which CDL will build.

Aerial view of the Iona development in Havelock North. The first eight sections of the planned 300-section development became available this week. Photo / Bayleys Hawke's Bay

Soo said there had not been a lot of development in Havelock North over the years of this scale or with this variety of lot sizes.

“It is only in recent times the council has allowed us to create lots with a smaller area that are more compact, to suit smaller premium housing,” Soo said.

“We know there is a short supply of housing and land in Hawke’s Bay given the cyclone and given that development has been quite slow. There has been a real push from the councils to rezone and develop more land. This is probably the first wave of future developments [in Hawke’s Bay]. The only other development on this scale at the moment is Mission Hills in Napier.”

Stage one is the first of four stages in the Iona Havelock North development. A commercial precinct and designed public spaces including walkways and play areas are also planned to serve the new neighbourhood. Photo / CDL

He said the variety of lot sizes allowed a more diverse mix of people from a bigger pool into the market in the area.

“This is the open market, so you’ll get first home buyers, families, downsizers and you’ll get people who are brand new to Hawke’s Bay, wanting to build their dream home,” he said.

“That creates a different culture, a different neighbourhood and a different community.”

He said there was no social housing in the development.

He said a small commercial centre that might include a cafe and dairy was planned, as well as a children’s playground and public green space encircling Bull Hill, all of which would be developed to serve the neighbourhood.

Bull Hill in Havelock North. The hill is named for the bull sculpture, fashioned from chains found at the Whakatu freezing works by the late artist William Jameson. Photo / NZME

Road safety improvements and infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the new homes were planned as well.

Earthworks for Stage 1 are due to be completed in the second quarter of this year.

Civil works for Stages 1A and 1B, 42 lots in total, and the first release of sections are due to be completed in Q3 this year and titles for the individual sections in Stage 1A and 1B should be available by the end of the year.

Soo said CDL aimed to have Stage 1 complete by Q2 2025 and CDL expects the project will take from five to seven years for all land development and housing to be completed depending on market conditions

“It is reliant on sales and people moving to the area. A lot of the feedback we’ve had to date is there are a lot of people wanting to downsize, so as you get older people want to sell the family home because all the kids have moved out hence some of the smaller lot sizes we are offering means you can build a smaller house.”

The Bayleys Hawke’s Bay office on Iona Rd has more information on the available sections.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz