Security stepped up at city’s KiwiBuild site

Security at the $23 million KiwiBuild site in New Plymouth is being stepped up, but not in response to a recent blaze near one of the homes under construction.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, emergency services were called to Discovery Pl in Marfell after an initial report of a house fire. However, when firefighters arrived about 1.30am, the blaze was found to be in a skip bin near one of the homes being built as part of New Plymouth’s KiwiBuild programme. There was no external damage to the house.

In a written response, a Ka¯inga Ora – Homes and Communities spokesperson said plans had already been developed ‘‘to increase security measures at the site as the first homes near completion over the coming weeks’’.

In the meantime, perimeter fencing around the construction site is being locked after-hours and there are regular security patrols at night. The spokesperson said while the skip bin fire was ‘‘disappointing’’, there had only been two other incidents since construction began 12 months ago – a reported theft from the site and minor damage to some machinery.

Senior Sergeant Geoff Ryan said police assisted firefighters in moving a car found in the vicinity but no arrests were made.

He said no formal complaint about the fire had been laid and police were not aware of any ongoing issues at the KiwiBuild site.

Six of the 68 KiwiBuild homes are almost finished, with 21 other builds due to be completed midyear.