Half billion dollar development for Millbrook Resort

New Zealand’s original premier lifestyle resort today announced details of a half billion dollar, 200-plus home housing development.

Five-star luxury resort Millbrook is well advanced with the urban design process and hopes to lodge for resource consent with the Queenstown Lakes District Council for Stage One of the development in the next few months.

The first stage will consist of 58 sites, a new nine-hole golf course designed by New Zealand golf legend Greg Turner, and a new driving range.

Sixty hectares of land to the west of the existing resort will be developed for Stage One, which will consist of 29 land sites, and 29 house and land packages. This is land Millbrook has owned for many years and is currently used for the driving range, grazing and in the past has been used for Millbrook’s famous open air concerts.

The sections and packages are expected to be on the market by spring, with work due to start in autumn 2007.

Demand for quality developments at the resort was recently evidenced by the sellout of Millbrook’s multi-million dollar ’Streamside’ fairway development in only three months.

Marketing material for the latest development is not yet available, although a steady stream of potential purchasers have already been registering with Millbrook’s property sales department in anticipation of the release. Formal registration details will be released closer to the time.

Millbrook Property and Development Manager Ben O’Malley said this was a long-awaited project at Millbrook, which has its own special zoning for development.

“Since Millbrook’s inception 18 years ago there has always been a vision of creating New Zealand’s biggest and best country club and lifestyle resort. The owners and the board have put their full weight behind this development — this is the future of Millbrook.”

The building sites are all on sunny, elevated North-facing slopes overlooking the new and existing golf courses, some with views of Lake Hayes, and all with views to Coronet Peak, the Crown Range or The Remarkables mountain ranges.

Mr O’Malley said the natural contours and elevation of the land had lent itself well to identifying building platforms with the very best views and sunshine.

“The sites are simply sensational,” he said.

Land contours and geographical rock formations of the land have also lent themselves beautifully to the new golf course, which will integrate with the existing Bob Charles-designed 18-hole championship course to ultimately offer three interchangeable nine-hole courses.

“We won’t have to do any major earthworks because the land is already beautifully set out for a golf course with natural water features, including Mill Stream, and undulating land and rocky outcrops,” Mr O’Malley said.

“Our design team has combined its talents exceptionally well to create exquisite neighbourhoods within the stunning natural amphitheatre of the Wakatipu basin.

“With our master plan, we have had to marry the requirements of the golf course with the needs of the real estate development, and I can tell you that this is a very happy marriage.”

Mr O’Malley said Millbrook had strict design controls in place on the land to ensure consistent high standards of style and design for developments at the resort. All purchasers will also be required to become Millbrook Country Club members.

A highly experienced and visionary consultant team has been employed by Millbrook to bring the long-held dream to reality.

It includes golf course designer Greg Turner, Paddy Baxter from the Baxter Design Group, who is one of Millbrook’s original designers, Fred van Brandenburg, one of the original architects of the resort, Signal Management Group from Dunedin, surveyors Clark Fortune McDonald, planners John Edmonds and Associates and engineers Montgomery Watson Harza.