Questions around social housing goals
A selection of letters to the editor from the last week or so.
Regarding the Leach St social housing complex in central New Plymouth.
Part of the legislation (Ministry for the Environment) that New Plymouth District Council employees used to give consent for this build is the 2020 Urban Development Plan.
It states: The purpose of this legislation is to facilitate the development of sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities.
Is the social housing complex in Leach St an example of how to achieve the above?
Seven fast food and four alcohol outlets within a three to five-minute walk, 44 units, 100 people, 18 car parks, storage for 12 bikes.
No public transport weekends, public holiday, or after 7pm weekdays, 3 levels and no lifts.
Of the area around the building 70% is commercial. The balance is residential, a peaceful place to live but there is nothing that binds us together and there are very few children.
There is no community activities/structure in Leach St/cameron St for the customers of Kainga Ora to get involved with.
In the Taranaki Daily News April 20 article about social housing the focus, as with previous articles, was on building houses, bricks and mortar.
No questions have been asked, or information supplied, as how this build follows the lead set by the legislation, which is to build blended communities.
Can the council employee that signed off the consent for the Leach St (SOHO) build, being the gatekeeper of Government legislation, provide evidence to the New Plymouth community as to how the spirit of this legislation is going to be achieved in my neighbourhood?
Bob Knox, New Plymouth