Richlister sells Canterbury mushroom factory site to retirement village developers

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Meadow Mushrooms was co-founded by Burdon and friend Roger Giles in 1970.

Leading mushroom growers Meadow Mushrooms, owned by richlister Philip Burdon and family, has sold its mushroom factory site in Prebbleton, south Christchurch, to retirement village developers and operators Summerset Group.

The 9 hectare property on Springs Road, Prebbleton, is the site of the company's original mushroom growing factory but the majority of growing, harvesting and packaging operations now take place at the Wilmers Road, Hornby, site.

The factory site is right in the heart of the new suburb where subdivisions have burgeoned in the past 20 years and is now surrounded by homes. It has been the subject of odour complaints from residents over the years.

Meadow Mushrooms was co-founded by Burdon and friend Roger Giles in 1970. Some operations from Prebbleton have shifted to the Wilmers Road operation where the company has expanded in the past nine years.

* Meadow Mushrooms' expansion continues

* Mushroom empire eyes growth**

Summerset said the $150 million-plus village would have about 290 homes, including two and three-bedroom villas, apartments, serviced apartments, rest home and hospital level care, as well as Summerset's Memory Care Centre for people living with dementia.

Summerset chief executive Julian Cook said Prebbleton was a growth area where there were plans for a new retail precinct, supermarket, doctor's surgery, pharmacy and café to be built in the immediate village area.

'We are delighted to have secured a site in Prebbleton, which is well suited to people who want to retire to a semi-rural setting but also want to be close to the attractions and conveniences of a city,' Cook said.

In the Prebbleton area, the number of people aged 75-plus was forecast to increase by 80 per cent over the next decade. The number of people of 75-plus was about 4300 people.

The mushroom processing plant on the site was expected to exit by mid-2020.

Philip Burdon, co-founder and shareholder of Meadow Mushrooms, is in front of the company's new office building at their Hornby plant in 2015 where there has been ongoing expansion for about nine years.

The buildings would be removed and the site remediated before village construction began, he said.

'Total investment in the village construction will exceed $150m and will employ more than 300 people during the building phase. Up to 70 further permanent jobs will be created when the village opens.

An opening date has not yet been determined, but design and consenting work will start immediately.'

Summerset also operates retirement villages in Wigram, Casebrook and Avonhead in Christchurch.

A worker at Meadow Mushrooms is harvesting in a growing room at their Hornby site in Wilmers Road where a huge expansion programme has been underway for about nine years.

As well Summerset said it had the green light for its proposed retirement village in St Johns, in Auckland's eastern suburbs, following approval of the resource consent by the Environment Court. No appeals were received on the decision.

Summerset chief executive Julian Cook says total investment in the Prebbleton village construction will exceed $150m and will employ more than 300 people during the building phase.

Cook said St Johns was a mature suburb with very few retirement or aged care options. It would accommodate over 400 residents.

'We currently have over 200 people on our database who are interested in this village, so we know there is good demand out there,' Cook said

The village would offer the full continuum of care, from independent living and serviced apartments, to a care centre with rest home and hospital care, as well as a Memory Care Centre for people living with dementia.

The village would have two-to-six storey buildings, with the taller buildings located along the eastern boundary, furthest away from residential neighbours. They would border St Johns Bush and St Johns Theological College and enjoy views over Auckland City and Rangitoto at the higher levels.

Summerset operates five villages in the Auckland region, with another two in the planning stages in Milldale and Parnell.

Summerset announced an underlying profit of $47.8m for the first half of 2019 and the purchase of land for its first retirement village in Melbourne, Australia.