Massive housing upgrade swings into action
NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday 26 August
Massive housing
upgrade swings into action
Te Ara Hou flats in
Newtown will be the first property to receive a makeover
under the joint venture between the Government and
Wellington City Council that will upgrade the Council’s
rental housing stock over the next 20 years.
A Deed
of Grant signed today by Housing Minister Maryan Street,
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast and Housing New Zealand
chairman Pat Snedden means the first payments of the $220
million contribution from the Government are now available
– and construction work can begin.
Housing New
Zealand Corporation will allocate the funding annually as
well as providing the Council with ongoing assistance and
advice drawing on its expertise as the country's largest
provider of social housing.
The Council will also
contribute money generated from rent from its 2300 housing
units to supplement this grant over the 20 year
period.
Mayor Prendergast says 12 housing sites
have been earmarked for upgrade in the first 10 years with
the rest (28 complexes and 126 stand-alone houses) to be
completed in the second 10 years.
“These first
housing properties are generally our largest sites - housing
about 65 per cent of our tenants. The majority of these
buildings will require earthquake-strengthening
work.”
However the Council and the Government –
recognising the essential role the rental housing plays in
providing affordable accommodation to Wellingtonians – are
also taking the opportunity to reconfigure and upgrade the
sites to meet 21st-century social needs and standards of
living.
Work also includes improving insulation,
ventilation, upgrading kitchens and bathrooms and changing
the shape and size of some units. “Basically we are
upgrading the Council’s housing stock to be safe, secure
and of a good standard for modern living.”
Mayor
Prendergast says being “first off the rank” should be
fantastic news for the 184 residents at Te Ara Hou – who
were officially told the news yesterday. “They will have
the opportunity to get involved in decisions being made
about the complex from design through to social and communal
spaces before construction work begins in July
2009.”
Te Ara Hou – a 33-year-old complex –
will be used as a ‘prototype’ for the long-term upgrade
programme. “We want to start with one of our medium-sized,
low-rise, sites first so that we can get our processes and
methods in order before we tackle our bigger complexes,”
says Mayor
Prendergast.
Members
of the Council’s Housing Upgrade team will work closely
with each of the residents to ensure that rehousing during
construction is as stress-free as possible before they move
into their upgraded homes.
“As you can image
the logistics of a project like this are immense and our
number-one priority is minimising the disruption for our
4000-plus residents while we get on with improving their
homes.”
A rehousing strategy is being developed
to ensure residents are either rehoused on their ‘home’
site or in other Council housing complexes in the same
neighbourhood or suburb.
Mayor Prendergast says it
is important to remember that this project is much more than
just about bricks and mortar. “We are also looking at
improving the social aspects of life in our housing
complexes through the Community Action Programme which is an
integral part of the upgrade
project.
“Community Action is all about
fostering better community relations with an emphasis on
socially improving the lives of our residents with what
suits them best as a community. This could include better
community facilities like communal gardens, organising
social activities, introducing exercise classes or perhaps
an improved play area for children.
“Regardless
of whether or not construction work is starting in the near
future we’ll be rolling out our Community Action Programme
in every housing complex in the next two
years.”
ends