“It was all around the Covid time and that was why they [the company] didn’t want to go any further. But they are committed 100 per cent so it’s all ready to go - they just needed the time to check everything.”
He believed Whangārei’s current growth, its cruise ship market and the Hundertwasser Art Centre are all part of making the city a viable option for such a hotel.
“It’s the best thing we can possibly ask for and hopefully there’s more to come.”
The site used to include the much-loved Almond Court flats but they were demolished in October 2023 after council investigations found costs to renovate them would be far greater than any likely return on investment.
Key architectural features of the Almond Court Flats - including windows, trims, doors, ceiling roses and bricks - were removed for re-use before the site was cleared.
An early childhood centre also on the site was removed in 2019.
Cocurullo said Millennium Copthorne’s plans are for a four or four-and-a-half star hotel with about 100 beds.
“The big thing for us is the four to four-and-a-half star rating, so this allows for a lot of those tourists wanting that sort of accommodation to be based here in Whangārei; it’s something that we don’t have at present.”
The site has been ear-marked for a hotel since 2012 and the proposed development is unlikely to need resource consent, just a straight-forward building consent, Cocurullo said.
The price is market-value for the prime CBD site, he said.
If the sale goes through, the money will go into the council’s commercial property portfolio, which the council is considering how to manage as part of its Long Term Plan consultation.
Millennium Copthorne has hotels in 80 different destinations across the globe, including Copthorne Hotel and Resort Bay of Islands in Waitangi and Kingsgate Hotel in Paihia.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
