Mixed housing development planned for church site

Wednesday, 4 December 2024

A large housing development has been planned for the capital’s largest suburb.

Wellington City Council has announced 20 new homes and three commercial units will be built on the corner on Campbell St and Karori Rd.

Stratum Management will work with the council to develop the site, which has stood empty since St John’s Church was demolished in 2017.

The site will be a mixed-use development of housing, apartments, and commercial spaces, and will help revitalise the Karori town centre and add to the city’s housing supply, a council spokesperson said.

Construction was expected to start mid-2025 and was estimated to take a year.

The empty lot currently hosts food trucks and a farmer’s market every Saturday, with the spokesperson saying an update would be provided on those activities.

Chief planning officer Liam Hodgetts said the lot would have eight wo-level apartments and 12 townhouses at the rear of the site. There would be gardens and parking.

He added that Stratum would offer $10,000 grants to qualifying first home buyers who wanted to purchase an apartment or townhouse.

Wharangi/Onslow-Western Councillor Diane Calvert welcomed the news saying the location was a “a pivotal empty site” that had been waiting for development.

“The commercial opportunities will support economic growth in Karori, as well as enhancing the town centre overall. An additional bonus is that new housing is included.”

Hodgetts said Stratum was an experienced developer with a a strong track record of building homes.

The site was in walking distance to the Karori Mall, the local library, Karori Normal School, and public transport, he said.

“The proposed building also demonstrates best practice environmentally sustainable design and integrates te ao Māori design – making it very appealing from an architectural point of view.”

He said Stratum had also submitted a practical proposal which indicated a relatively quick build time.

Stratum Management director Craig Stewart said he and his team were excited by the opportunity and were confident the completed project would be positive for the suburb.

“We envisage a high-quality hospitality use on the ground floor facing Karori Rd and have ensured that the design also provides for indoor and outdoor use.”