A planning error on the part of the developers has forced the Mount Maunganui apartment complex at Eleven Maunganui Road back to the Tauranga City Council hearing committee. The 61 unit apartment complex as consented does not meet fire safety requirements – a condition of the Tauranga City Council’s original consent. In order to comply with fire safety the developer has had to change some of the landscaping and accesses. A 900mm wide fire escape path is required on a balcony More...

Granny flats in the Western Bay of Plenty have been allowed to expand in recognition of their changing uses. Western Bay of Plenty District Council has decided to increase the size of minor dwellings from 50 square metres to 60 square metres in its decisions to the new District Plan released this week. The distance of 20m from the main dwelling has been retained. Rules are changing on the allowed size of granny flats in the Western Bay of Plenty. Councillors agreed that 50 square More...

The sale of retail outlets at Fraser Cove is part of an estimated $75 million sale that is being described as one of the biggest sell-down of retail properties ever held in New Zealand. Twelve retail outlets at Fraser Cove are part of a portfolio of retail properties up for sale, which includes another 11 outlets at West Gate Shopping Centre in West Auckland. Both shopping centres are owned by companies associated with the New Zealand Retail Property Group Management Limited. The More...

The Mount Maunganui and Papamoa property markets appear to be improving with 28 Mount homes valued at more than $1 million sold in 2009. The median house prices in both Mount Maunganui and Papamoa have increased too, also indicating the property market is improving. Ray White Mount Maunganui owner Russell Maxwell. In the three months to the end of December 2009, median house prices in Mount Maunganui and Papamoa increased to $440,000 from $407,000 in the previous quarter and $435,000 More...

Western Bay of Plenty police will be out in force this Auckland Anniversary Weekend and are urging drivers to take care on the region’s roads. Senior sergeant Ian Campion says drivers can expect to experience heavy traffic flows with the build up to Anniversary Weekend which will worsen if the weather packs in. “Drivers need to reduce speeds, respect following distances, drive to the conditions and be patient, taking extra care during overtaking manoeuvres.” He says More...

The number of houses sold in the Western Bay of Plenty last December is slightly less than in the previous month, according to figures released by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. In December, 53 houses were sold in the Western Bay compared with 58 in November. The median price for a house in the region also dropped; from $377,750 in November to $365,000 in December. There were 95 houses sold in Tauranga in December – down on the 114 houses sold in November. The median More...

Tauranga has had a tough year economically in 2009, but many commentators see that it has handled recession better than most other New Zealand centres. While the property market has tightened in the Bay there continues to be demand and sales are being made.   For an analysis of Tauranga’s property market, see Denis McMahon’s latest More...

The number of houses being sold in the Western Bay of Plenty was up in November, according to the latest figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. There were 58 homes sold in November, up from the 55 sold in October. In November 2008, only 31 homes sold in the Western Bay. File graphic. The median house price also increased in the region to $377,750 from $358,000 in October. The median price for a house in the Mount Maunganui and Papamoa decreased in November to $407,000 More...

As summer nears, the property market becomes more competitive and people begin to look for quality investments. In Tauranga there is not a huge quantity of quality rental properties available and this is having an impact on investment opportunities. This may not be the best time for a person to be looking at buying one. For the full story see Terry Rota’s latest blog. More...

Property values in Tauranga bucked national property trends by falling in value by 2.2 per cent, according to latest figures released by Quotable Value. The average property value across New Zealand rose by one per cent in the three months to the end of November, compared to the same period in 2008. The average sale price for the region increased slightly from $400,367 to $401,620. Shayne Donovan-Grammer says Tauranga appears to be lagging behind the value increases being felt by the main More...