New life for Omahu Road site

Construction on a new storage facility for the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board is due to start in a few months on the site of one of Hastings’ worst fires in a decade.

Rollo Vavasour of Bayleys Napier has negotiated the design-and-build lease on behalf of the property’s owners, Guardian Trust Company Limited, and says the new building to the rear of the site at 700 Omahu Road will bring tangible efficiencies for the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board.

“For the past 30 years, the Health Board’s storage facility has been in Napier but with the reassignment of the region’s hospital facilities to Hastings some 12 years ago, it will be far more convenient to have the storage building within close proximity to Hawke’s Bay Hospital which is just a few hundred metres down the road. Board staff are particularly pleased with the location which has easy access from both Omahu Road and Orchard Road at the rear,” says Mr Vavasour.

The fire in 2006 completely destroyed the original building on the site which was occupied by Oil Imports Limited and VJ Distributors meaning these businesses have relocated away from this prime site which has the advantage of being on the busiest arterial route between the Hastings CBD and the Napier Expressway.

The design of the new building has been undertaken by Fat Parrot Architecture Limited’s principal, Pierre du Toit, who will also be project manager for the development. The building will have a footprint of 1200sq m and include a mezzanine level and air-conditioned offices.

To the front of the site (facing Omahu Road) will be a further building of between 600sq m and 1200 sq m and Mr Vavasour is keen to hear from prospective tenants looking for smart, high-specification premises.

“Guardian Trust envisages an upmarket building with provision for a showroom, offices and on-site parking. In recent years, we have seen a gradual ‘gentrification’ of Omahu Road with a trend towards more high-profile tenants and this new building could appeal to a home decor/design business, trade showroom or retail tenant looking for conveniently-located premises with excellent branding opportunities,” says Mr Vavasour.

“Early enquiry on this new-build opportunity will allow for a tenant’s requirements to be incorporated into the design stages and we expect broad interest given the proposed quality of the building and the location.”