The benefits of inner city living

The apartments on offer will have harbour views to the Mount or the CBD.

Recent study shows inner city living makes for healthier, happier people.

A recent UK study found residents of higher-density areas are more active, more socially engaged, and less obese than people who live in the sprawl of suburbia. One city leading the drive for these benefits of inner city living is Tauranga.

The country's fourth largest city is going through what many are describing as a game changer development phase. Between now and 2021 the city centre will see more than $250 million in construction with another $60+ million planned, and for those quick and clever enough to be living in the Tauranga city centre the benefits are exciting.

One such inner city resident is Rachel Grindle who says that while the study was across 22 British cities, strong similarities can be drawn to Tauranga to qualify the appeal and convenience of inner city living.

"I absolutely believe inner-city living makes for healthier, happier people. We're proof of that! Quite simply, living in our area fosters physical activity. I don't think I use my car nearly as much as my friends and colleagues. From where I live, within a matter of a few minutes' walk I can be enjoying the shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and doing business. We have doctors, dentists, lawyers and more right at our door step."

The 'our area' that Rachel refers to is Cliff Road, nestled on the redoubt hill at the end of The Strand and overlooking the inner harbour and Mauao. Having shifted a house off their inner-city site in 2006 to build a new home Rachel and husband Ian are well qualified to espouse the virtues of inner city living.

"We've lived in the heart of Tauranga's CBD for the past 11 years and I just love it. It has endless advantages both from the convenience factor and also it has been an amazing place to raise our family. When the girls became teenagers our home location was popular for friends as town was just a stone's throw away which was great for them, and us, and they made good use of the city library and amenities because they were right there."

Not surprisingly, with the Western Bay of Plenty region boasting the fastest growth across the country, it is inevitable Tauranga will continue to attract residents in growing numbers. Leading the way to meet the demand for inner-city living is the new Latitude Residences on the corner of Cliff Road and Park street I the heart of Downtown Tauranga.

This six-level luxury apartment development marks the first inner city apartment development in the past decade and its smart combination of striking design and highly desirable location has seen it heralded as setting a stunning new standard in inner city living in Tauranga's CBD. The fast rate of the apartment sales seems to back this theory.

You can't beat inner city living.

Since going to market late last year all but six of the generously sized, luxurious apartments in the Latitude Residences complex have gone unconditional to buyers from Melbourne, Auckland, Hamilton, Waikato and Tauranga who were quick to grab their place in what is destined to become one of New Zealand's most vibrant cities. Just six apartments remain prices ranging from $849,000 to $1,995,000. So, what makes this complex so strikingly appealing?

Perhaps it's the heady mix of location and stunning design. From a design perspective you certainly get a lot. Architects are blending form with function with a striking façade and smart design. White box frames offset against a dark exterior cladding and timber soffits give this beauty a fresh, nautical feel.

Far from stark, Latitude features vertical louvres to break the horizontal lines of the six levels whilst providing shelter and shade to bedrooms. The development features 28 freehold apartments with a choice of two, three and four-bedroom options.

Yet it's not just the impeccable construction that is drawing attention. The obvious convenience of Latitude's positioning diagonally opposite the Rose Gardens on a corner site means the remaining apartments on offer will get harbour views to the Mount or the CBD, and then there's that inner city living convenience that Rachel reckons is impossible to beat.

"It's really exciting to be living in a city centre that is going through so much growth. I'm already happy with what I have at my doorstep and yet to think there's going to be more shops, cafes, public amenities, hotels, restaurants and amazing public spaces, I just can't wait."

To find out more about the last six apartments available in Latitude Residences, in the heart of Tauranga's city centre visit www.latitudetauranga.co.nz, email ian.grindle@raywhite.com or phone 0274 990 759.