A substantial piece of bare land for sale overlooking the busiest intersection on the Coromandel Peninsula has been mooted for development as a service station and big-brand fast food outlet.
The site at 9603 State Highway 26 at Kopu, just south of Thames, sits at a roundabout which is the gateway to the Coromandel for vacationers and holiday home owners from Auckland and Hamilton.
The 3,091-square metre property – beside Kopu’s industrial precinct at the junction of State Highways 25 and 26 – is now being marketed for sale by Bayleys Hamilton, with an asking price of $875,000 plus GST, if any.
Salesperson Josh Smith said the property’s location en route to numerous holiday hotspots – including Coromandel, Whitianga, Whangamata, Cooks Beach, Hot Water Beach, Pauanui and Tairua – made it one of the highest-visibility sites anywhere in the Coromandel.
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“Compelling locational advantages mean this Kopu site would be well suited for development as a petrol station – possibly combined with a stand-alone convenience-food operation – or for options such as bulk retail outlet, or a car dealership,” said Mr Smith.
“A fuel stop is a particularly attractive option given the site’s strategic location at the crossroads of key routes to the north, south, west. More than 75 metres of frontage along State Highway 26 allows ample space for the creation of dual entrance and exit points.
“The nearest service station is 800 metres further up the highway towards Thames. However, for main-road traffic from Auckland and Hamilton towards southern and eastern destinations the nearest fuel is at Maramarua, 25 minutes to the west, in Paeroa, more than 20 minutes to the south, or 40 minutes away at Pauanui to the east.”
Mr Smith said the flat Kopu land size was virtually identical to the average footprint for a full-service retail service station New Zealand – including a forecourt, shop, car wash and other infrastructure which typically occupied about 3,000 square metres.
“Alternatively, future owners could consider an unstaffed ‘self-service facility – offering travellers a convenient fuel stop. The smaller footprint under this service delivery model with no requirement for administrative buildings would allow a developer to explore other uses for the balance of the site.”
Mr Smith said that given its high visibility to thousands of passing vehicles daily and with peak periods over summer and long weekends, the Kopu property could also have potential for establishing billboard signage.
He said that while Thames already had outlets for some of the biggest takeaway food brands – such as McDonald’s and KFC – others such as Subway, Wendy’s and Pita Pit were absent in the area.
“For quite some time now, standalone and franchise food outlets have been a profitable offering alongside petrol stations in many other locations – such as the BP Drury food and fuel services hub in South Auckland, and the BP Drury food and fuel services hub on the northern side of the city,” Mr Smith said.
“From an in-house perspective, BP said last year that food sales at its outlets more than doubled over the past 10 years – making it the country’s number one retailer of Fairtrade coffee.”
Mr Smith said the Kopu site was situated on a pivotal location between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga – just a few hundred metres from the Kopu Bridge.
“Kopu is at the halfway mark for Aucklanders driving to beaches and holiday homes in eastern Coromandel hotspots - so heading in either direction it’s the ideal spot to take a break for food and a fuel top up,” he said.
“The new, widened Kopu bridge was a crucial infrastructure development which has unlocked the role of this location as the gateway to the Coromandel.
“The Kopu site is currently zoned Rural under Thames-Coromandel District Council’s district plan – allowing activities such as commercial recreation and events, visitor accommodation and campground facilities.
“However, potential planning changes to accommodate a service station, if approved, would effectively allow the site to become an extension of the town’s industrial activities across the road.”
Kopu’s industrial precinct, on the northern side of State Highway 25, includes a mix of uses - such as light industrial, marine and automotive, building and hardware supplies, and big box outlet stores.
Mr Smith said Kopu was already tipped for expansion, with the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund providing $270,000 towards a business case investigating development of a marine servicing and water-based tourism hub in the area.
