First new houses at Fenchurch opened

A milestone in the first phase of the long-term plans of the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company (TRC) was reached today with Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English and Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith opening the first completed homes as part of the Fenchurch neighbourhood regeneration project at Glen Innes, Auckland.

“These 11 houses have been built by Housing New Zealand to meet the needs of today’s social housing tenants, with double-glazing, insulation, thermal quality curtains and low-energy use appliances. They reflect Housing New Zealand’s focus on ensuring its stock is both fit-for-purpose and of good quality,” Mr English says.

The 11 houses opened today – Fenchurch 1A – are a mixture of two-, three- and four-bedroom units, and replace two houses that previously occupied the site. Work is also underway at Fenchurch 1B, which will provide another 21 new homes by early 2016. The entire Fenchurch neighbourhood regeneration project involves the construction of approximately 400 houses in total by 2018.

“The Fenchurch neighbourhood regeneration project is part of the Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme for a more diverse supply of social and affordable housing from a wider range of providers, improved responsiveness to tenants’ needs, and greater recognition of people’s aspiration for housing independence,” Mr English says.

“It is also part of our wider commitment to the Tāmaki area through the Tāmaki Redevelopment Company. Our objective is not just about more housing – it is about building a better, stronger community,” Dr Smith says.

The Tāmaki Redevelopment Company is a joint venture between the Government and Auckland Council with the aim of achieving better housing and social outcomes at Tāmaki, an area which in the past has been dominated by state housing.

Dr Smith said the Auckland Council has been a valuable partner in the project, with the upgrade of local infrastructure and the use of the fast-tracking Special Housing Area mechanism as part of the Auckland Housing Accord.

Earlier this year, the Ministers announced the transfer of the ownership and management of approximately 2800 Housing New Zealand properties to TRC by 31 March 2016, as well as a $200 million loan facility to enable the regeneration in the area to occur at pace.

“The new houses opened today will be part of the transfer to TRC. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the regeneration will see about 7500 new houses be built at Tāmaki in place of 2500 existing ones. The Government has already committed to ensuring that of these, at least 2800 will be social housing to equal the number here now,” Mr English says.

“There are big gains to be had in Tāmaki and the Government is serious about seeing action where it is desperately needed. The opening of these 11 new houses marks good progress towards making a genuine and lasting difference for this community and its people,” Dr Smith says