Lakefront development progressing well

The Lakehouse Hotel will be transformed into a 250-bed upmarket "spa hostel". Photo/File

One of Rotorua's biggest property players will speak on "the other side of the hill" today to highlight development which is going on in the city.

Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust client manager Peter Faulkner is speaking about the group's projects at a Property Council event in Tauranga.

Mr Faulkner said the aim of the talk was to provide an overview on the group's latest projects and show there was "development on the other side of the hill".

Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust is behind several of the major developments underway in Rotorua including lakefront redevelopment which is likely to include a five-star hotel, transforming the old Lakehouse Hotel into an upmarket spa hostel, the recent purchase of the RSA building, and work at Trade Central.

Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post before the talk, Mr Faulkner said work on the lakefront development was progressing well. The trust was preparing to lodge the initial site structure plan which covers the 11ha land the trust owned on the Lakefront, which stretched from QE Health to the Government Gardens entrance.

Peter Faulkner

The site structure plan was the first stage in the master plan for the area and would include general locations of planned facilities..

Among plans was a five-star hotel and the complex could create up to 400 jobs.

The trust was still working closely with QE Health, he said. QE Health's lease is set to expire in May 2018, which is the earliest work could start on a hotel development.

However Mr Faulkner said work would start "as soon as possible" after that date and he expected the early planning stages to start by late this year.

Mr Faulkner said work was also progressing on the redevelopment of the Lakehouse into a hostel and the trust was working through the planning process of what it would do with the former RSA building, which it bought last year.