Million-dollar church site and buildings for sale in Christchurch
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
A million-dollar church, vicarage and site in the leafy Christchurch suburb of St Martins has been put up for sale by the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch.
The sale proceeds from St Anne's Church and vicarage at the foot of the Port Hills will be used for the strengthening and upgrade of St Mark's Anglican Church in Opawa, a neighbouring suburb, after it was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-11.
The two churches amalgamated in 2007 as part of a diocesan rationalisation programme.
The buildings sit on a prime almost half-acre residential site with a government valuation of $1.29 million, comprising $540,000 for the 1972 square metres of land and $750,000 for buildings.
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The property, on the corner of Wilson Roads and Centaurus Rd, is being sold 'as is where is' and is zoned 'residential suburban', the main residential zoning in Christchurch.
The land and buildings are for sale by deadline private treaty, closing on May 2.
Christchurch City Council head of consents, John Higgins, said the main feature of that zoning was that each dwelling had to have a minimum site of 450sqm and the use had to be residential.
Asked how many units or townhouses could be placed on the1972sqm site, Higgins said it would depend on the design of the units and access, but four stand-alone units might be able to stand on a site of that size.
Other residential buildings allowed in that zoning included a retirement village, student hostels of up to six bedrooms owned or operated by a secondary or tertiary education provider, social housing of up to four residential units, older persons housing units and bed and breakfast.
Reverend Canon Ben Truman, vicar of the Opawa/St Martins, said St Anne's was continuing to be used and would until a new owner took ownership. It needed some repairs and maintenance.
Then, parish church services would transfer to the new school hall at St Mark's School in Opawa, next to St Mark's church.
The strengthening and upgrading of St Mark's to 67 per cent of the National Building Standard (NBS) would be covered by insurance, fund-raiding and the sale of St Anne's.
St Mark's would get a new tiled roof which would lighten the load on the building by about three tonnes, a new sprinkler system would be installed, and the entranceway from Opawa Road modernised.
As part of the renovation a small chapel would be built as well, to be called the Chapel of St Anne's as a recognition of the parish's history.
The parish was working with architects Chaplin Crooks on the repair and upgrade and hoped to have designs by late May and maybe start building at the end of this year or early 2020.
'I'd hope to be in by middle to late next year, I suppose, but that's a very fluid thing,' Truman said.
'Our desire is rather than having two buildings that aren't fit for purpose, we want to have one that's a centre of excellence, a really wonderful place to be able to worship and pray.'
The sale of St Anne's 'comes with a level of sadness' for parishioners.
The church was built in the 1960s but there had been worshipping at the site in different buildings since the 1920s, 'coming up 100 years of Christian presence on that site'.
'A number of our parishioners have been there for a very long time. So there's a large amount of grief for a building that has held baptisms and weddings and funerals for loved family members.
'But there is also real excitement about moving back to St Mark's. A number of our parishioners had come from St Mark's originally.'
Colliers International is marketing the property. Investment broker Courtney Doig said Church Property Trustees, which manages Anglican property, would be very pleased if the property sold to another church or community group.
St Anne's had come through the earthquakes pretty well and was safe to occupy, Doig said.