Where to from here on Heron Crescent elder housing redevelopment
There's action aplenty on the ground and behind the scenes to progress Katikati’s Heron Crescent elder housing village redevelopment.
On Thursday 27 April Western Bay of Plenty District Councillors will decide on the preferred development option including the total number of units to be built, which may vary depending on whether the application to the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development’s Affordable Housing Fund for additional capital funding is successful. In the meantime, our team are busily managing siteworks, ensuring the numbers stack up and applying for additional funding.
Council CEO John Holyoake says that we need to keep moving forward so elder housing tenants can get settled into their new, warm and dry homes as soon as possible.
“Katikati has the most people over 70 years old of all the towns in the Western Bay according to StatsNZ’s population estimations.
“But there's not enough suitable, affordable housing available. And as cost of living keeps increasing so does the need for more affordable housing. We can’t afford to wait, we need get on with the things we can now, so we can help the people who really need it.“
What's happening now - on the ground
The existing units have been removed and foundational site works kick off in earnest in April.
The existing path between Diggelmann Park and Heron Crescent through the elder housing village is closed from now until to July-August (weather dependent), when the new path will be opened.
Works to come include upgrading the stormwater mains, construction of a retaining wall, earthworks, new wastewater connections and a new paved path to Diggelmann Park to come.
What’s happening next - follow the kōrero
At the Council meeting on 27 April, your Councillors will make a decision on the preferred development option for Heron Crescent. This is for the initial design, which will then need to be developed into a detailed design and build project.
In the weeks following that decision, we’ll be inviting the community to kōrero with Councillors and the Council team on the initial design in detail.
John says, “The people of the Western Bay gave us their support through the Long Term Plan 2023-31 to retain and redevelop our elder housing, giving some of our older people the opportunity to stay in their local communities where they may not have otherwise been able to.
“And we want to recognise that support by taking you along on the journey too and sharing our plans along the way. So, you can expect more information to come once the preferred option is agreed by your Councillors.”
Keep an eye out for event details to come in May. The Council team will also be engaging directly with our elder housing tenants to get their input into the detailed design.
Planning ahead
Our team are applying to external funding avenues for additional capital to progress the build, ensuring the redevelopment cost isn’t passed to ratepayers.
The current redevelopment plans are mostly covered by $5.34m from the Government’s ‘Better Off’ funding, but the Council team has now also registered a bid for funding through the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development’s Affordable Housing Fund.
An announcement on the Affordable Housing fund isn’t expected until August, after initial works have begun at Heron Crescent. Success in the Affordable Housing Fund will enable Council to progress its preferred option, which could see significantly more accommodation provided. We’ll be able to talk through what this could look like at our community information session in May.
For more information and progress photos visit our elder housing page.
