Big Christchurch plant sale due to no mussel

Sanfords' big factory at 2 Matipo St, Middleton, in Christchurch.

A big 1.6 hectare factory in Middleton, Christchurch, is on the market following its closure due to a shortage of mussels

Savills agent Ben Dwan, who is exclusively marketing the property on behalf of seafood company Sanford Ltd, says the "huge" site, at 2 Matipo St just 3.3 km from the city centre, is of a scale rarely available in the area.

"It's very unusual for an industrial land holding of this size to be put on the market so close to the city centre. Middleton is very popular among industrial occupiers because it's near the CBD and main roads. Big sites like this don't come up very often here."

Dwan says area has undergone intensification post-earthquake as office and showroom users have moved to the suburbs.

"Traditionally Middleton has been a manufacturing base but an increase in office and showroom uses has reduced the supply of industrial properties even further. This means the Sanford property will be considered strategic, given the demand from industrial users for centrally-located properties close to Blenheim Rd and the motorway."

The site's large size could attract a medium-sized food processing company looking to upscale, given the well-equipped buildings and facilities. Alternatively, Dwan expects to receive inquiries from developers and active investors who could look at splitting the property into a multi-unit development and leasing out separate tenancies.

"A significant amount of plant and equipment is included with the property, making it ideal for a food processing business to move in and start operations straight away. There could also be real value to be realised in repurposing the buildings and offering units to industrial businesses."

Several well-maintained buildings are on site, making up nearly 7000 sq m of floor space in total. They include coolstores, chillers, blast freezers, dry goods stores, workshops, processing areas, packing rooms, a canopy, plant room, offices over two levels and staff amenities.

Plant and equipment includes factory operating machinery, boilers, heat recovery systems and air compressors. The site also has a trade waste discharge system and a water bore that can draw 45 litres per second.

An extensive concreted yard has 49 car parks and space for up to 12 powered containers.

The property is located next to the main trunk railway line, with the Wrights Rd business estate on the opposite side of the tracks. Across Matipo St is Toll's large freight hub and the Blenheim Rd commercial strip is only two blocks away.