Christchurch restored commercial villa

Historic villa in Beckenham, Christchurch. Photo / Supplied

An historic villa in Beckenham, Christchurch, is being promoted as an ideal property for owner-occupiers looking for attractive, high-quality suburban commercial premises.

Savills agents Ben Cameron and Matt Jones are marketing the 120sq m freehold property, occupying a 480sq m Residential zoned section at 109 Colombo St, for sale by deadline private treaty closing at 4pm on December 5.

The property has consents in place to be used for commercial purposes. It has four separate rooms, kitchenette, bathroom, front and rear verandas and attractive landscaped grounds. Off-street parking is also included.

Jones says the villa is likely to fit the bill for many small businesses searching for quality suburban commercial premises.

"There are a great number of business sectors which need to be located in the suburbs near their customer base. These include doctors, dentists, beauty clinics, hair salons, childcare centres, architects, cafes and many others. This presents a great opportunity for a business in any of these sectors to acquire an attractive character property in a busy locality."

Offered vacant, the building has been restored to an exceptional standard and offers very high-quality business premises in a popular location, says Cameron.

"This is a stunning renovated character property which is currently used as an office. It's situated in a busy residential area which has been proven as a highly valued location for businesses which service the surrounding affluent customer base, with many long-established commercial occupiers in the area."

The building was renovated by its owner occupier, Debbie Rimmer Landscape Design, with the project winning a commendation in the 2016 Christchurch Civic Trust Awards. Most of the original features of the house, which was built in around 1910, were carefully retained during the restoration project.

The villa is a good example of how a former domestic dwelling of another era can begin a new life as a peaceful, functional business premise without losing its character, according to the 2016 Civic Trust Awards judging panel.

Cameron says the sale presents a good opportunity for a business to acquire quality character space in a busy locality, where there is low availability of commercial premises and high demand from occupiers.

"For businesses looking for their own standalone premises in key suburbs in Christchurch, there are not many options. While there is availability in business parks and in new developments in the central city, a lot of occupiers are looking for small, distinctive buildings in select suburbs that will enable them to project their desired brand image directly to their customers."

The property is also expected to be attractive to investors who could purchase the property and offer it for lease, says Jones.

"There is strong demand for high quality, small character premises in good locations in Christchurch and not a lot of availability. Because of that, the rents which landlords can command for attractive, unique standalone buildings have held up quite well in the suburban office market."

The property is located in Beckenham, which is home to a mix of residential and boutique commercial uses. The Christchurch central business district is located 10 minutes' drive to the north.