Decisions are yet to be made about plans for vacated social housing land in Ashburton.
Houses were demolished at 7-15 Church St last year and the land cleared in preparation for the building of 13 new Kāinga Ora houses.
It was to consist of eight twobedroom, two three-bedroom and three four-bedroom homes, in a mix of one and two-storey. Resource consent had been obtained.
Kāinga Ora regional director Canterbury Liz Krause said Church St and another development in Ashburton were under review. The other was the plan for a nine-home development across three properties on Orr St.
Vacated houses at that site were now being retenanted.
‘‘The proposed 13-home redevelopment at Church St and the proposed nine-home development at Orr St are still under assessment while we plan our build programmes for the coming years and no final decisions have yet been made about them,’’ Krause said.
‘‘While the assessment process is under way, we have removed the existing homes on the Church St sites and we are retenanting the Orr St homes. We expect the decision-making process on where we will deliver homes through to June 2026 will extend into the middle of next year.’’
Labour list MP Jo Luxton wrote about the housing crisis her column in The Ashburton Courier last month. She said the halted projects were due to government funding cuts.
‘‘In Ashburton, 58 households are on the priority list, in desperate need of housing. Yet, due to government funding cuts, the social housing project on Church St has been cancelled with only the nine-unit project on Orr St set to proceed,’’ Luxton said.
‘‘This government is prioritising a $2.9 billion tax break for landlords over providing social housing for those in need. The cuts have gone too far, and the harsh reality is that more vulnerable people are being forced to live in cars or temporary shelters.’’
In the meantime, Krause said Kāinga Ora would keep neighbours and stakeholders informed if any decisions were made. The vacant Church St site would be regularly maintained and any security concerns addressed.
‘‘We will keep the community informed as decisions are made. People can also keep up-to-date at kaingaora.govt.nz/canterbury.’’
She said the agency continued to provide new social housing in Ashburton and last month completed 15 new homes at Dobson St with a further 32 Kāinga Ora homes under contract or construction in the district.
‘‘We expect most of these homes to be completed this year,’’ she said.
