Plan to lease out land around cottage

Central Otago District Council property facilities manager Christina Martin (left) and Vallance Cottage working group chairwoman Clair Higginson hold an information panel that will be installed near Vallance Cottage in Alexandra. Photo: Pam Jones.
Central Otago District Council property facilities manager Christina Martin (left) and Vallance Cottage working group chairwoman Clair Higginson hold an information panel that will be installed near Vallance Cottage in Alexandra. Photo: Pam Jones.
Alexandra's historic Vallance Cottage could overlook a new commercial venture, as expressions of interest are being sought for land surrounding the cottage.

The Vincent Community Board would like to lease out part of the recreational reserve land surrounding the cottage to a small, mobile operation, Central Otago District Council (CODC) property facilities manager Christina Martin said.

The venture would need to be compatible with the cottage and transportable, such as a mobile coffee/food vendor or a retail shop or artist in a portable cabin.

It was hoped having an attraction beside Vallance Cottage would bring more visitors to the cottage and more income to maintain it, through donations from visitors viewing the cottage and the lease for the commercial operation, Ms Martin said.

Good numbers of people could visit the cottage and new business, as it was near the Otago Central Rail Trail and would probably be signposted from there, and was included in a suggested Alexandra ''loop'' of attractions to visit, she said.

Vallance Cottage working group chairwoman Clair Higginson said she hoped the idea would work and increase the profile of the cottage.

The 1897 cottage was an important part of Central Otago's history, and was a well-kept, authentic reminder of how ''ordinary'' people used to live, she said.

The mud-brick cottage, in Samson St, was lived in by many generations of the Vallance family and given to the community by them in the mid-1990s.

Later, there had been a huge community campaign to save the cottage, after it fell into disrepair, which led to its restoration.

The community board now owns the cottage, as well as the land surrounding it.

It has also commissioned an information panel about the cottage, which should be installed within the next two weeks.

Any proposal for leased land near the cottage would be subject to a public notification process.

Subject to a ground lease being signed, funding of up to $42,300 has been approved by the community board for the installation of a separate exterior power connection point for the lessee, and a unisex accessible bathroom in the existing outbuilding next to the cottage.

Anyone interested in establishing in a small commercial venture near the cottage should contact her at the council by Friday, Ms Martin said.

pam.jones@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement