A village-like community

By VICKI HOLDER

Opportunities to live in new, quality, affordable homes in Auckland's established residential areas are few and far between.

Hollyfield Park in Avondale seeks to remedy that situation when construction of 80 new freehold townhouses starts.

Around 10 minutes' drive from the city centre, the development is in a quiet residential street next to the playing fields of the highly respected Avondale College, Avondale Intermediate School and Rosebank Primary School.

Not only that, it's close to three pre-school establishments. Unitec is about 2 km away and numerous recreational and sports facilities are nearby, including Heron Park and Eastdale Reserve.

Hollyfield Park also offers convenient shopping at Avondale village and motorway access a few minutes away.

Developer Geoff Hodgkinson, of Vermillion Hollyfield Park, has much experience in residential property projects, ranging from large community developments to exclusive homes in Auckland's premier suburbs. His team of designers, planners and engineers has been involved in many notable developments throughout New Zealand.

Says Geoff: "Hollyfield Park was conceived as a village-like community with diversity in style, form and colour. The contemporary, timeless design will integrate with the surrounding residential neighbourhood. Views will be maximised and it will be an environment where people enjoy living."

Behind the high rock wall and electronically controlled entry gates, the two- and three-bedroom, two-storey townhouses offer various options to suit individual needs. Within the nine basic designs, architect Andrew MacGregor has chopped and changed layouts and features to tailor them to specific preferences.

Some he has designed with living areas on the ground floor and bedrooms upstairs. In others, he's switched the arrangement to maximise the views over the water towards the North Shore and the Waitakere Ranges. He has broken up the end units into different sizes and given them different roof-lines. Some homes come with a carport, while others have double garages.

Landscape architect Frances Donaldson has planned the development so that people can go for a run on tracks and remain within the safe, secure environment. Recreation areas are incorporated in a green sitting area, the lawn and petanque court next to the school grounds. In another part of the grounds, a landscaped barbecue area nestles under trees. Residents can also retreat to read or meditate in a private, rock-walled garden.

Diversity applies in the townhouses' courtyards, which are landscaped with a variety of plants and fencing materials, such as trees, hedging and woven metal panels. The pergolas and decks are made of metal for their modern aesthetic appeal and durability.

Floating, perforated, metal feature walls are an architectural element giving a distinctive exterior look to the homes. Silver, powder-coated aluminium sliding doors extend the living areas to terraces and decks.

The spacious, open-plan interiors have higher-than-usual ceiling stud-heights. European-styled kitchens, in four colour schemes, look across laminate benchtops beneath modern pendant lightfittings to the living areas. Behind the deep, angled benchtop are a Fisher & Paykel stainless-steel dishwasher, hob, oven and extractor. Italian tiles continue from the entry foyer into the kitchen, on the floors and as a splashback. Mains pressure gas is provided for cooking and hot water. All the kitchens feature generous pantries and the laundries are located nearby.

The modern bathrooms, equipped with the latest German tapware and vitreous china basins, have a separate bath and the latest Australian shower design. Raised on aluminium legs, the stylish vanity gives a greater feeling of spaciousness.

To make life even more enjoyable at Hollyfield Park, a live-in manager oversees visitor parking and security, and maintains the grounds and recreational facilities.

Providing a quiet, restful haven close to a host of amenities, Hollyfield Park offers sophisticated living within an established, secure community.

Vital Statistics

Address: 42 Holly St, Avondale.

Features: New townhouse development near schools; nine options in two- and three-bedroom layouts; great views; quality fittings; trendy colour schemes; electrically operated entrance gates with intercom and remote control operation; visitor parking; five-year builder's guarantee; buyer's deposit held in trust until total payment.

Size: From 75 sq m to 141 sq m.

Price: From $169,000 to $209,000.

Agent: Sylvia Williams, Danny Wang and Patrick Barry of Hollyfield Park. Ph 820 9688 bus; Sylvia 021 133 0366 mob; Danny 025 226 2888 mob; Patrick 021 933 674 mob. Ray White Goodwin Realty. Ph 829 0150 bus.