Property boom in Lyttelton: port town revival

Press, 25 March 1982, Page 14

Property boom in Lyttelton: port town revival

In Residence

Patricia Herbert

PROPERTY REPORTER

There is light at the end of the tunnel — for the property market at least. Business is booming in Lyttelton. The Lyttelton Borough Council’s building inspector, Mr K. James, reports that the price of older houses has more than doubled over the past 18 months. People are buying them to restore: In 1980-1981 his department issued 89 building permits for house alterations; in 1981-1982 it has issued 140.

A spokesman for the Real Estate Institute remarks that, whereas early last year Lyttelton could be classified as a depressed area, house prices were now comparable to Christchurch. “The demand is there — and that’s when prices go

up.” Two houses have recently sold for $73,000. Good properties are generally selling, he says to the first people who look at them.

There is also an “incredible demand” for rental accommodation in the town. A small advertisement placed to tenant a flat received almost 20 replies.

One reason is that a lot of former flats have been bought and converted into family homes.

He attributes the demand for housing in Lyttelton to the climate, the view, and the services available.

“The winter is a very buoyant time for real estate here. People ring up and say that their doctors have told them to be out of Christchurch by April."

The climate is healthier in Lyttelton, he says. “We get a bit of smoke from fires in the winter, but Christchurch is under a blanket of fog." Because it has developed as a separate town, and not as a suburb of the city, its population of less than 3500 is well provided with public amenities. There are two primary schools, an excellent library and a very good museum in the town. “These are things that you don’t get in the suburbs."

Lyttelton also has a small town atmosphere and sense of community. The pace is slower, there are more small shops and fewer supermarkets, and small groups gather in the streets to chat.

Another less tangible small town feature is that the population represents all socio-economic groups, he says. “Lyttelton has some characters, there is no doubt about that, because the population is so diverse."

Il has the raffishness associated with port towns — and five hotels in its very small commercial area. With the advent of containerisation, there are fewer seamen than there used to be, “but they are still around."

The diversity of the population is part of the explanation for the housing demand, he believes.

“If you talk to someone from Lyttelton, you have not got any idea what sort of person he is.” Some people, it seems, prefer to live in Lyttelton because they do not want to be typecast.

“The houses are also incredibly diverse. We get some that could be put anywhere and would be considered very desirable, and some small cottages which

were built in the 1860 s and are like dolls’ houses.” One house on the market was built in 1852. Most of the demand is for old houses with those in their original condition attracting the highest prices.

Two almost identical houses situated side by side have recently been sold. One was modernised and fitted with new amenities and the other was as-built. The "unimproved" house sold first and fetched more money.

“It is hard to impress upon vendors that houses are worth more in their original state,” he says. But buyers are looking for “old appeal." The preference for older houses, and the fact that the, Housing Corporation will lend on them, largely accounts for the Lyttelton property boom.

Most of the houses are old: The council has issued only 73 building permits for new homes in the past 10 years because the harbour basin is already fully-developed and building on the Port Hills is restricted to reduce the possibility of erosion.

The town was first developed in the 1850 s as a port facility to receive European immigrants. The architec-

turajl character of the harbour basin still reflects the colonial era. Much of it is in its original form. The council, aware of the value of this in today’s market, hired a private town planning consultancy firm to advise it on development. The firm reported that “significant advantages could accrue to the borough” if it attempted to regain a sense of difference, and if it restored some buidings and ensured that any new properties were built in harmony with the old town fabric.

The council was told that the “principal concern” should be to retain and reinforce the unique Lytileton township.,

This policy is reflected in the district scheme review. It announces, the council's intention to “encourage the retention of the good features of colonial architecture, and to discourage new developments which are out of keeping with the original character of Lyttelton.” To assist with this policy, the council has applied to the Housing Corporation to have part of the harbour basin designated a neighbourhood improvement area under the Community Housing Improvement Programme. The

application has been approved.

The district scheme also includes guidelines for the construction of new buildings to ensure that they harmonise with existing stock. The use of dormer or bay windows, for example, is encouraged. Nearly 70 per cent of people buying homes in Lyttelton are’ from out of town. They are either middle-aged or in their twenties and thirties, and many of them are artisans or craftspeople.

A leather-worker and a wood-turner have recently bought properties.

Some of them have established workshops in the old commercial buildings in the town which were vacated when the commercial centre was reduced. Others work in their own homes. Provision has been made in the district scheme for cottage industry in the residential one zone, providing that no staff are employed. “We are not encouraging it, but we are not prohibiting it," Mr James said. And for the future? “More and more of the older houses that have been modernised will probably be turned back to their original states by people who want ‘old appeal’,” the Real Estate Institute spokesman predicts.