Dannemora

The living is easy in this purpose-built community, as CHARLOTTE COSSAR discovers.

Imagine living in a suburb that is purpose-built and caters for all your needs. Dannemora, which is bordered by Howick and Whitford, was just a design concept nine years ago.

When the lush farmland was divided into blocks, on average 700sq m at this stage, the area was called Cumbria Downs. Two years later, its name was changed to Dannemora.

Now, the once lush farmland is a sea of houses. It is predicted that when the area has been completely developed it will have a population of 52,000.

Similar in feel to Australian developments such as Brisbane's Forest Lakes, this suburb has been carefully planned to make living here easy. All the houses are built to a strict covenant, which means the houses have to be built to a certain standard and size and that front fences don't exceed 1m. This fence rule gives the area an open and friendly feel. Most of the streets, many of them crescents or cul-de-sacs, have walkways connecting them. And strip lanes off the main thoroughfares make access to these suburban streets safe.

The advantages of living in this new, self-contained community include the new schools - primary, intermediate and secondary (due for completion in 2003/4) - day care centres, medical centres, churches and the shopping. Botany Town Centre is one of the biggest shopping complexes in the Southern Hemisphere. Designed like a village, it is a destination. It is easy to while away the day walking down the lanes full of designer and mainstream shops. It has successfully combined smaller chain stores with the larger department-style shops, and there are two supermarkets. Although it is often hard for non-locals to find a park in the weekends, residents of Dannemora needn't compete. It is just a hop, skip and a jump from most of their homes.

The area has seen the price of sections and homes rise sharply in recent years due to its popularity. When sections are released, about every six months, 80 per cent are already pre-sold. These sections, now 450sq m, sell for about $120,000. A completed three-bedroom home on the flat would range between $340,000 and $370,000 and a four-bedroom home could fetch up to $600,000. On the hill, some of the larger homes with views are on the market for $600,000 plus.

The area attracts a lot of families who want time in the weekends to pursue hobbies. The homes, all being new, are generally maintenance free, as are the new landscaped gardens. Although the homes have all been constructed in the last decade, there are points of differences. This area has not been developed by one building company so the homes are different in style and construction materials.

However, Dannemora is probably not the place to live if you work in the city, although some people do. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to reach the city on an average run. Many of its residents work locally or at Manukau City Centre, which is a 10-minute drive.

Although it sounds as if the area is just a sea of houses, there are plenty of reserves, parks and walkways offering a little of the lush land that was once there.

The area has attracted people from Manurewa and Papakura, as well as from the North Shore and eastern suburbs, who are keen to live in a new home and in an area with new amenities.