PRESS RELEASE

13 March 2013

Timeframes for Northern Glen Innes Redevelopment Project released

Timeframes and details for the Northern Glen Innes Redevelopment Project have been shared with tenants today.

Housing New Zealand and its development partner Creating Communities also today announced the first redevelopment, which includes replacing 18 state houses with 49 new homes. Twenty-four of the 49 new homes will be state houses.

Housing New Zealand Chief Executive, Glen Sowry says nine families are currently living in houses that are being redeveloped first.

“We visited those families today to explain how we will help them with their move into another state house before July 2013.”

The other nine sites are either vacant land or empty houses.

Mr Sowry says 14 families in total were spoken with today about needing to move this year. The other five tenants are part of another redevelopment scheduled to begin later this year.

“We understand moving house is stressful, so the families are being given lots of support and we are of course paying relocation and utility reconnection costs. They can move to a location of their choice, including one of our other 1400 or so houses in Glen Innes if they wish,” says Mr Sowry.

Of the 156 properties included in the redevelopment, 72 are currently tenanted.

“We also visited the rest of the people living in state houses included in the Northern Glen Innes Project today to give them approximate timeframes for when they are likely to have to move. That won’t be until next year at the earliest and some not until 2015.

“We are pleased to be able to give families timeframes and information about how the staging will affect them.”

“We are committed to improving the way we work with tenants and the community in Glen Innes. To do this we have attempted to meet all 72 affected families face to face today, and organised an information session early next week for those that need to move for the first redevelopment.

Murdoch Dryden, Executive Director of Creating Communities, says the Northern Glen Innes Redevelopment Project is a new and exciting new model for housing in Auckland.

“The 49 houses will be a mix of state, private and affordable homes. The project showcases the type of houses that will be built in Glen Innes and will show people the housing choices the project creates,” he said.

“We are committed to providing affordable homes in Glen Innes, and will be working with the local community to develop new models to trial. Auckland is a challenging place to provide affordable housing but it’s a challenge we are determined to meet,” he says.

Housing New Zealand has also contacted or met with more than 50 local stakeholders, and is holding drop-in sessions at the local library twice a week for the next few weeks. Staff will be available to answer questions at Creating Communities’ Community Open Day at Glen Innes Primary School on 23 March.

The 49 new homes, which will be a combination of two storey terraced and standalone houses, are due to be completed before Christmas 2013.

The 18 sites being built on are located in Apirana Avenue, Castledine Crescent and Eastview Road.

ENDS

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