Growing pains hit Marsden City

 

Despite considerable growth in both the residential and commercial property sectors around Northland in recent years, lack of interest by commercial and industrial companies has recently seen Marsden City developer and major shareholder Oliver Scott placed into receivership along with several of his associated companies.

The Marsden City development, at Bream Bay, potentially promised up to 18,000 work opportunities and a future 40,000-person population explosion beginning from the latter part of 2012 bringing a much-needed wave of prosperity.

Stark economic reality though has seen what was touted as a future city bigger than Whangarei tip off its foundations.

Stage one of the development included retail, commercial, industrial and residential housing and apartments but the uptake of any purchasers has failed to materialise leading to the three companies involved being placed into receivership in late May and now offered for sale by tender through Bayleys Warkworth and Auckland offices.

Much of the land, though it contains a sealed roading network, is on peatland not yet fully consolidated leading to stormwater drainage failure during heavy rain last winter and what is now termed the ‘sinking city.’

This has now become an issue for the Whangarei District Council and may well result in a short-term repair bill in excess of $5 million while to complete the job to a fully operational state is estimated in excess of $12 million, a cost likely to be dumped on Whangarei ratepayers.

Initially marketed with the line ‘Sun, sea and sand, life is a beach and at Marsden City your dream lifestyle in the winterless north awaits you’, it may well may end up as ‘the winter of your discontent’.