Colonial-style ‘model village’ in sought-after Christchurch suburb snapped up by owner-occupiers

Saturday, 27 June 2026

Brooksfield director Vincent Holloway says all but two of 13 properties have sold in the new residential development in Cashmere on land once owned by the Cashmere Club.

A new boutique Cashmere housing development has sold all but two of its 13 homes, with the developer saying every buyer plans to live there rather than rent them out.

A Brooksfield residential development on land formerly owned by the Cashmere Club has been transformed into Cashmere Gardens, a colonial-style village featuring 13 diverse homes.

The Christchurch developer secured the 2980m² of land for about $2.2m in November 2024 and took possession in October 2025, with plans already in place.

Townhouses, apartments and stand-alone houses of different colours, sizes and prices have been snapped up in Cashmere.

Brooksfield director Vincent Holloway said the mix of townhouses, single-level apartments, and two and three-bedroom villas and cottages sold either pre-consent or during construction, but two buyers recently cancelled.

None of the homes have been bought by investors, he said. Instead, the development attracted a mix of residents, including three young families, a young couple, one individual buyer, and several downsizers living in the suburb wanting to “come off the hills in expensive homes”, he said.

Within walking distance of local eateries, the library and a park, and less than 5km from central Christchurch, the village is also in a sought-after school catchment, including Thorrington School, South Intermediate and Cashmere High School.

Three of the buyers bought specifically to be in the school zone, he said.

After securing the property in November 2024, the sale was settled in October 2025 and building commenced straight away.

Buyers would take possession next month.

The homes are priced between $700,000 and $1.2m.

Predominantly taking inspiration from South St in Nelson, which is made up of early colonial and Victoria-era homes, Cashmere Gardens has a similar aesthetic, with different styles and colours, he said.

Brooksfield directors Vincent Holloway, right, and Oliver Hickman developed their first site with a variety of homes.

“It really feels like it’s happened at different times,” Holloway said, including a couple of houses with sun rooms built into the veranda “to make it feel like later additions”.

It is the first Brooksfield development in this style, with two more in Cashmere under way, including developments of 13 and 15 homes, as well as 20 stand-alone homes and townhouses planned for a Bryndwr property.

Holloway said the medley of properties was designed to create a “model village”, unlike a retirement village or some established developments where it’s “a village of the same person”.

“We wanted it to feel like a community … with a diverse mix of people rather than the same house with the same type of purchaser.

“It creates a way more active place - all the people have different interests.”

Plantings are set to ensure the village lives up to its name with two London Plane trees planted at the entrance, similar to those seen in Hagley park, while the homes will have a lot of perennials and herbaceous plants ‒ “a lot of bee-friendly plants”, he said.

Cashmere Club general manager Murray Davies told The Press in November 2024 the land was sold to improve its “fragile” financial situation.

“If we didn’t sell the land it would be a tough ask to survive the way things are at the moment, and there’s a good chance there wouldn’t be a Cashmere Club. Then there’d be virtually no community assets in the area for functions and for groups like Probus to use.”