Stephen Jeffery said the sale of his 50ha, three-block Coal Creek property was finalised three weeks ago.
Fairview Orchard grows cherries, other stone fruit, apples and pears.
He said it was on the market for a few years, but he only recently had an offer he was willing to accept. He owned the orchard for 31 years.
The orchard had been in his family since the late 1800s, although he was not sure exactly when it was purchased.‘‘My family on both sides have been here since the 1800s.
"There is some sentimentality, for sure. My own family had not expressed interest in taking it over, but it is sad it’s going out of the family."
Mr Jeffery did not want to reveal the sale price or the identity of the new owners, saying only they were New Zealanders, but not locals.
"To the best of my knowledge, they want to keep it as an orchard."
He was not yet sure whether he and his family would stay in Roxburgh.
"I’ll have time to contemplate what to do next, but I’ve got a pretty busy life anyway."
Mr Jeffery is a Central Otago District Councillor, a Teviot Valley Community Board member and the Central Otago Queenstown Trails Steering Trust chairman.
In August, independent commissioners granted consent for Kokiri Lime Co Ltd to mine on 163ha of land at Coal Creek Flat now used for pastoral farming and horticulture. Mr Jeffery’s land was one of 19 properties from which it would need consent. He had concerns about dust created by the operation damaging fruit, but after the hearings said most of these were allayed.
My Jeffery did not reach a consent agreement with the company,
preferring the mine to buy the orchard outright.
Kokiri Lime Company Ltd owner Mack Ferguson said he did not want to comment on the sale or whether the company had talks with the new owner of the orchard.
"The consent process is still moving along, but it’s a slow process," Mr Ferguson said.
