Central Otago District Council said it was unlikely to sell individual sections in the Gair Avenue subdivision if negotiations with a preferred developer were successful.

In a project update published on January 22, the council said if the sale proceeded, it would not sell sections directly and instead the successful developer would market its own house and land packages, expected to be available from the first quarter of 2026.

The update followed questions from residents about progress on the long-running Cromwell project and the temporary closure of the Flora Street greenway. 

In a Facebook post late last week, the council said it had updated its project page to help keep the community informed about timeframes, works underway and what to expect next.

It will be early 2027 before house and land packages go on the market for the next stage of the Gair Estate subdivision. Image: The Central App

Civil works for the first stages of the subdivision are almost complete, according to the council.

A request for proposal process to sell and complete the development was completed in September last year, and council staff are now in negotiations with a preferred developer, it said.

A proposed sale and purchase agreement, along with other sale options, is expected to go before the Cromwell Community Board and full council for consideration in March.

The council also addressed stormwater works in the Flora Street Reserve, which have resulted in the greenway being temporarily closed. 

The design of a stormwater retention basin to be constructed in the coming weeks at the Gair Avenue subdivision (grassed banks shown in green, shallow, grassed channel in brown). Image: CODC

It said the reserve would remain fenced while stormwater infrastructure is installed, with work expected to be completed by the end of February.

Earthworks between Gavan Street and Gair Avenue are for a new stormwater basin designed to provide additional capacity during heavy rainfall and reduce flood risk to nearby properties, the council said. 

Once completed, the basin would appear as a landscaped, grassed area and would be usable as open public space most of the time.

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