Whanganui developer Keryn Amon at the crossroads of a new subdivision in Springvale. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui developer Keryn Amon at the crossroads of a new subdivision in Springvale. Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui land developer Keryn Amon has seen remarkable progress over the past three years despite the curve balls tossed at the building industry.
The final stage of Amon’s Tirimoana Pl subdivision in St John’s Hill is almost complete with the slab about to be poured for the final two housesand now he is ready to begin construction of 27 properties in a new subdivision in Springvale.
Hold-ups and labour shortages caused by Covid-19, and shipping restrictions leading to materials shortages, had caused delays and added expenses for the St John’s Hill development.
“The hardest part has been telling the buyers that their costs have increased because of those things,” Amon said.
“I really want to thank everyone involved for their patience and for staying the distance. We only had one buyer pull out and they had their own reasons that were nothing to do with delays or costs.”
For the new development, Amon has been involved at the grassroots. He partnered with Kelly Crawford in 2021 to form the limited company Boss Civil and they have overseen all the preliminary work to prepare the land behind the Kaierau Rugby Club.
“It’s ready for plug and play,” said Amon.
The cul de sac sections have electricity, gas and fibre installed and some sections are already sold.
“We’ve also removed 7000 cubic metres of peat soil from the sections and fortunately we had people who wanted to buy it,” Amon said.
“There is good drainage here but we want to get rid of the peat because it holds so much moisture.”
Amon said the size and style of the houses would be decided by buyers.
The subdivision is off the end of Hereford St where it intersects with Chester Rd.
“I imagine that the land will remain part of Hereford St because it is a continuation rather than a turn-off.
“The area is quiet even though it is behind the rugby club. The entrance is on the other side so that’s where the traffic will be.”
Amon said he was looking forward to starting the new project now many of the restrictions of recent times had eased.
“Those seven-day layoffs were especially tough for our small business contractors because their whole business had to shut down when one of their number got Covid and when they came back they had other work to catch up with as well as ours.
“That is still happening to some extent but nothing like it was.”
Keryn Amon said he wanted to thank everyone involved with the Tirimoana Pl subdivision for their patience and loyalty. Photo / Bevan Conley
The experience of working to complete a project like the Tirimoana Pl subdivision during a pandemic had been a huge learning curve, Amon said.
“We learned a lot and I think we’ve come out of it stronger and better.
“We’re better at dealing with the unexpected and thinking outside the box.”
Amon said he was confident the Springvale sections would be snapped up.
“Even though property sales have been decreasing nationally, Whanganui has been quite stable.
“This is a really nice part of town and it’s quiet while still being close to the city centre.”
He imagines it will attract a mix of local buyers and newcomers.
“A lot of Tirimoana Pl residents were Whanganui locals while others came from Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Palmerston North and there’s a couple of farmers from Raetihi and Ohakune who were ready to retire and enjoy city life.”
Amon said people should contact him if they want to view the sections. Phone Tirimoana Developments on 027 292 8752.
