3 June 2016

It’s all go at Arlington with demolition under way

Demolition is now well under way at Wellington City Council’s Arlington Apartments in Mt Cook.

The diggers are making short work of the 1970s Council housing as Arlington Site 2, bounded by Taranaki and Hopper streets, is cleared in preparation for a $33 million makeover of the site. The redevelopment will provide affordable, flexible, high-quality homes that are modern, warm, safe and secure. The 105 new apartments will provide space for 324 residents – almost double the 166 residents in the old apartments.

The apartments have been designed as ‘modular’ residences. With minimal alterations, they can be reconfigured from single-bed apartments to multi-bedroom units that can accommodate large families, and vice-versa.

A central landscaped area will be a key feature of the site.

The project is the latest stage in the City Council’s Housing Upgrade Programme – a $400 million programme jointly funded with the Crown. The programme to upgrade the Council’s social housing – most of it dating from the 1960s and 1970s – has been under way since 2008.

Arlington Site 2 is being redeveloped by a consortium including Hawkins Construction, Novak+Middleton, Dunning Thornton, Boffa Miskell, Stephenson and Turner, Beca, Motm, Holmes Fire, Acousafe and Stantiall Studio.

Meanwhile, across Hopper Street, the Council is now engaging with the market and exploring options for Arlington Site 1, including the landmark George Porter Tower and surrounding apartments. Site 1 currently has 192 units. We are inviting interested parties to discuss the possibility of a joint development on Arlington site 1, with a mix of social housing alongside private housing. We have posted a formal notice on the Government’s GETS tendering website to attract proposals, which will be accepted until 8 July.

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