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If you want to get a feel for what’s going on in Snells Beach at the moment, all you have to do is venture down Arabella Lane at the community’s northern entrance, then stop, look and listen. The incredible view across the bay to Kawau Island is still there, but the normally tranquil atmosphere is alive with the constant noise of countless earthmovers, rollers, saws and nail guns. More and more sites are being levelled and houses swiftly built on any remaining parcel of land.
The activity here is symptomatic of a general upping of the pace in Snells lately as more people move for the lifestyle and what have traditionally been slightly lower property prices. The community’s established retirees and holidaymakers are still there, but more young families are moving in – Snells Beach School’s roll has nearly doubled in the seven years it’s been open.
Bayleys real estate agent Steffan Meyer, who lives in Snells, says the days when people simply built baches here to retire to are long gone.
“Quite a few people from Auckland are wanting to invest and maybe move up here in a few years,” Mr Meyer says. “Also younger families are buying older houses and doing them up because they’re affordable, and some of the areas are tidying up. There’s lots of redevelopment, too, and new sub-divisions.”
He adds that while the rise in property prices might not have been as dramatic as in Warkworth, the pace has still been significant.
“I think a lot of people are unaware of what their properties are worth now. Where they still think something might be $450,000 to $550,000, it’s probably more like $650,000 to $750,000.”
As well as the developments at the northern edge of Snells, there are plans in the pipeline for new homes on the old motel site in Ferndale Drive, up to 70 sections in Dawson Road and a significant subdivision just south of the township at Goldsworthy Bay.
Snells Beach Ratepayers & Residents Association chair Bryan Jackson says the community’s re-designation from ‘village’ to ‘town centre’ in the Unitary Plan could see the population increase from around 4000 people up to 12,000 in the future.
New initiatives like the family gala, held for the first time in February, and new cafes and businesses, are helping to increase community spirit, according to Steffan Meyer.
“There’s vision – people are looking for opportunities,” he says.
