Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News
Two North Canterbury sisters are feeling mixed emotions at the prospect of the family farm being turned into a housing estate.
Cath Kennedy and Barbara Corbett attended the sod turning with Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon for the new 419-home Cambridge Estate sub-division in west Rangiora earlier this week.
Their parents Don and Hilda Corbett, former owners of The Plough Hotel, brought the farm in 1973 to enjoy the farming lifestyle, running sheep and cattle and breeding thoroughbred horses.
''It's too good for housing. It's beautiful land,'' Kennedy said.
''But it's the way the town is moving. It has been for decades.''
The Corbett family moved to Rangiora from Christchurch in 1964, taking over The Plough Hotel, which had two paddocks behind it and stables for the horses.
In those days Rangiora was much smaller, being largely contained within the town belts.
''There was no Ashgrove School. It was just a dust bowl,'' Kennedy said.
''The town went as far west as West Belt. Blackett Street wasn't there. It was just a dust bowl.
''It's amazing how much the town has developed.''
The 19.2ha Cambridge Estate is being developed by Ben Dormer.
Gordon said the development showed confidence in the local economy.
The land was rezoned as part of the Waimakariri District Plan, which was adopted in June last year and is now partially operative.
The District Plan opened up land for up to 17,000 new sections over the next 30 years.
''It's good to see our new District Plan in operation,'' Gordon said.
''It just shows what can happen when developers work with the council.
''We always want to work in with developers because we want to support growth in areas which are appropriate for development.''
He said it was good see locals involved in the development.
Dormer's father Mike Dormer founded The Willows Cricket Club, based at a picturesque ground at Loburn, north of Rangiora.
Dormer Construction, run by his brother Pete Dormer, is the contractor on the site, while Ray White Rangiora is looking after the sales.
The first 148 sections, which make up stages 1-5 have already gone to market, with half already sold.
Titles are expected to be issued by the end of the year, with the first residents likely to move in by the middle of next year.
Sections range in size from 250sqm to 800sqm, with 419 sections to be developed in 13 stages.
Ray White Rangiora manager Stuart Morris said the smaller sections were selling for under $300,000 and he expected there would be some house and land packages selling for under $700,00.
''It has been well received by the market. It is affordable, but a very pleasing sub-division, which is just what we need in western Rangiora.
''We have some great options and there is a great team working on the product.''
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
