Major housing developments announced for Timaru
❚ Up to 40 social houses to be built ❚ Subdivision confirmed for at least 130 sections ❚ Sector leaders welcome news
Construction of the largest public housing build in South Canterbury in 50 years is expected to start next year, with up to 40 houses to be built.
But the latest figures show that this may not be enough – with 117 applicants waiting for social housing as of March.
Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities (formerly Housing New Zealand) confirmed yesterday it has purchased the 12,100m2 site, which includes 29 Grey Rd and the large grassed sports field area behind it, adjacent to the Ara car park in Timaru, to develop into public housing.
It paid $3.95 million for the block of land, off State Highway 1, Kā inga Ora regional director Otago Southland Kerrie Young said.
The land has long been
‘‘We’re really pleased to be able to build homes here.’’
Kerrie Young, Kā inga Ora
vacant, occasionally hosting travelling circuses and fairs, and was privately owned. The seller did not wish to comment on the sale when contacted.
Young said that while planning was in the ‘‘very early stages’’, Kāinga Ora hoped to build about 40 ‘‘new warm, dry homes there, which is a significant step towards meeting housing need in Timaru’’.
‘‘If the project proceeds as hoped through consenting processes, it will be the largest single development of Kā inga Ora homes in South Canterbury since the 1970s,’’ Young said.
There were no concept plans available yet, she said.
Kā inga Ora has 419 homes in the Timaru territorial authority district, which includes Temuka and Geraldine, and has completed 14 new homes since 2018.
Figures provided to The Timaru Herald show that 117 people were waiting for social housing in the Timaru District as of March 2022 – up on March
2021, when 99 people were on the waiting list, and more than double the 48 people waiting for social housing in March 2019.
Dependent on consenting processes, construction could start from mid-2023, with the homes ready for whānau to move into in 2025, Young said.
‘‘We’re constantly looking at opportunities throughout the region to grow the number of warm, dry homes for people in need, and we’re really pleased to be able to build homes here in such a central location, and so close to Ara Institute,’’ she said.
‘‘We are committed to delivering good-quality homes, with an urban design approach that brings the best outcomes for people living here, and the wider community.’’
Ara executive director operations Colin King said he agreed with Young that it was positive that the site for the new build was close to Ara.
The development joins several major projects planned for the Timaru District, with the Scott Base redevelopment, Theatre Royal/Heritage facility development, Aorangi Stadium redevelopment, the Aigantighe Art Gallery redevelopment to start in the next few years, and work at the Showgrounds Hill retail complex, which is under way.