Dean Tallentire at the new Summerset St John's retirement village in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell
Nine years ago, NZX-listed Summerset Group said it had bought “an interest” in a 2.5ha Auckland eastern suburbs site from the Anglican St John’s College Trust Board, back when the rugby field and surrounding land it leased was known locally as Parsons’ Paddock.
It is now nearly a decade later and Summerset is much closer to the tryline, about to complete the first stage of its new $350m retirement village, after not starting building work till 2022.
The land is beside the St John the Evangelist Theological College, with the trust’s 2015 annual report saying it planned to sell Summerset a pre-paid 127-year terminating ground lease.
The site is at 180-188 St John’s Rd in the wealthy area whose catchments include Remuera and St Heliers although Summerset construction general manager Dean Tallentire says people living 30km away had shown interest, so it’s not limited to the eastern areas.
The trust board explained how it had structured its land deal with Summerset: “Following an international tender, a transaction was finalised with Summerset Group, which plans to develop and operate a retirement village on the site. By creating a terminating ground lease structure, the trust continues to have a titular interest in this property and full ownership will revert to the trust at the expiry of the lease, enabling the then-trustees to consider how to reutilise this asset for future beneficiaries”.
Summerset’s 2016 presentation to the Meadowbank St John’s Residents Association noted 188 St John’s Rd’s history, referring to the College of Saint John the Evangelist founded by Bishop Selwyn in 1844 and the 1847 chapel being Auckland’s oldest surviving church building.
So, quite some history for the holding which neighbours reserve St John’s Bush and includes 55-57 Ripon Cres, all on a gently sloping site.
It will be a decade from July 2015 when the company bought a leasehold interest and when work is finished, due later next year.
Summerset appeared not in any rush to start on the elevated block but has been busy since 2022.
A Summerset spokesman said: “With a village of this scale, there are a number of stages we go through. After we’ve secured the land, we then go through masterplanning to determine the overall concept for the village, before then developing to preliminary design and applying for resource consent. This site was also referred to the Environment Court and given the green light in November 2019.”
Fast forward to today and Tallentire is telling how the first residents are due to move in later this year with the village aimed to be fully occupied by later next year, buildings rising seven levels above ground with two basement car parking levels beneath.
“It’s one of the largest construction sites in New Zealand,” he says, heading for the seventh floor of the Rangitoto block and a $6m penthouse apartment with wraparound decks.
The project is nine levels at the highest point, although some blocks are slightly lower, with access off Rippon Cres below St John’s Rd.
Once completed, the $350m project with 340 units for around 400 people will be Summerset’s third-largest village, around the same size as its Hobsonville village.
Summerset’s five largest existing villages are:
The site was also where scaffolder Michael Noche died in November 2022, a Filipino migrant and an employee of Marin Construction, a subcontractor. Summerset CEO Scott Scoullar said the business was “devastated” about his death.
How are sales going in this downbeat Auckland market, where Barfoot & Thompson stock swelled to a decade-long high in March?
Pre-sales on an initial 180 apartments opened last year. At Summerset’s last market update in February when it released its second most profitable full-year result, it said it had deposits on around 60 per cent of what was released, including the $6m penthouse.
It struck pre-sale deals on more than $100m of contracts, the company said then.
Occupation rights prices for one-bedroom, 60-68sq m independent apartments start at $975,000.
Occupation rights on serviced apartments start at $700,000 while prices on the 30 premium care suites [like upmarket, large hospital rooms but with more services] are yet to be released.
The central nine-level building is named Rangitoto, a western block is Waiheke while an eastern block is Tiritiri Matangi. Kawau, Motutapu Ponui and Hauraki are other names in the six-block project.
Tallentire wanted to stress the amenities, citing the new bistro restaurant, swimming pool and beauty salon - features of almost every other new retirement village.
Perhaps the most visually striking feature is the site’s elevation and the arrangement of such bulky blocks in a north-facing U-shape, capturing extensive sea views and the sun in a central courtyard facing Rippon Cres, rather than the busy St John’s Rd.
Building sizes were issues when in 2019 the Environment Court heard Summerset Villages (St Johns) v Auckland Council. The company appealed the independent commissioners’ refusal of its plans due to the impact of scale and height on surrounding neighbourhoods, although Summerset reduced its initial plans.
Summerset is now aiming for a win on its ex-rugby field, as contractors near the target completion next year - not exactly at All Blacks speed, considering its decade-long ownership of the leasehold land.
It’s not game over just yet.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
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