Start date to replace old state homes
Long-awaited work to replace six former state homes in a New Plymouth suburb is set to begin in September – nearly two years after the demolition teams left.
The houses, in Westown, were pulled down in November 2019, after standing vacant for some time.
Since then, the two sites on Wrantage St, where four of the homes had been, and a site in the neighbouring Holford St cul-desac, have stood empty.
The properties come under Ka¯inga Ora-Homes and Communities, the Crown agency which acts as a public housing landlord and delivers homes and urban development projects.
At the time of the demolition, the most recent figures from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, from March 2019, showed there were 129 people on the register for public housing in the New Plymouth district.
But the latest figures, from December last year, show that number has risen to 386.
Work to replace the homes was to have begun in the second half of last year, with completion expected later this year.
In an emailed statement, Ka¯ inga Ora spokesman Michael Baker said: ‘‘We have been making progress in this project, and construction work on this project is intended to begin around September 2021, with an expected completion date early 2022.
‘‘These dates are indicative, and may change. However, we will be keeping the community and neighbours informed of the timelines as we progress with this project. In addition to this project, as part of the Public Housing Plan, we have a pipeline of up to 122 new homes in the New Plymouth region being built between 2021-2024.’’