QLDC $33 million land plans revealed - with council connections

The $33 million buyer of the QLDC block of commonage land above the CBD has today been identified as linked to Mackersy Property.

The council has said the identity of the buyer is confidential but the National Business Review has revealed Mackersy Property was linked to the buyer  - the company was founded by Ron Mackersy who now works as a consultant to the company from his home in Arrowtown.

The NBR refers to Mackersy Property has having "quietly assembled" a property portfolio of $2.2 billion over the past two decades on behalf of 2,800 wholesale investors and about 80 commercial syndicates.

The NBR also refers to a "source close to the deal" in identifying Mackersy lawyer and property investment director Adam Copland as a prime player in the deal. Mr Copland is the brother of Heath Copland, a former QLDC councillor and current member of the council's Audit, Finance and Risk Committee.

Crux spoke with Adam Copland this morning who said the QLDC deal was "none of our business" as well as being "privileged and confidential."

Adam Copland of Mackersy Property. "We are not going to bastardise Queenstown."

He did however disclose that Mackersy was linked to the buyer of the QLDC land "but is not the developer."

He said the land was steep and difficult and would need a lot of work before housing could be built.

When asked what the exact use of the land would be Mr Copland indicated only that it would be consistent with the current zoning.

"The reality of it is that our buyer has paid the price for the land. So it's zoned medium density residential, and we will deliver a medium density residential development. That's what we're gonna do.

"It's a a problematic site. It's on the hill. It's steep and services are difficult. We've got a whole lot of work to do. We're not gonna put these things on the market in the next three months. We've got a lot of work to do and a lot of money to spend to get it ready to develop. We've got to get water in there, we've got electricity to get in there, we've got to get sewage in there and stormwater. And it, it's not, it's not gonna be easy.

"We're not gonna deliver something that's that bastardises, Queenstown. Like, that's not what we're gonna do. No."

Crux also spoke with Heath Copland today and he said he had no knowledge of the land purchase involving his brother and there was no conflict of interest involved.