Friday, 9 October 2015

Four new social housing units open in Richmond

Christchurch City Council has celebrated another milestone in the rebuild of its social housing, with four new units opened in Richmond.

The modern one-bedroom units were officially opened today at the Council's HP Smith Courts housing complex.

They are part of a number of new Council units being built to help replace the 113 lost to the residential red zone following the earthquakes.

A further 34 units are scheduled for completion by mid-2016, in Addington, Woolston and Mairehau.

Councillor Andrew Turner, Chair of the Communities, Housing and Economic Development Committee, says the Council is following through on its commitment to build back quality, cost-effective social housing for the city.

"The Council is building a new standard of social housing that's designed to meet the needs of the community over the long term," he says.

"By building new units at existing Council housing complexes, we can make better use of the land, get better value for money and open units more quickly – all of which are excellent outcomes for the city."

The four new units were built by Miles Construction Limited and have achieved "5 star" accreditation from Lifemark. The accreditation means the units meet specific design and accessibility standards to meet tenants' changing needs over their lifetimes.

Each unit has been insulated beyond Building Code requirements and features double glazing, a wet-area shower, wider pathways and doorways, higher wall sockets and a mobility-scooter parking and charging area.

Tenants are expected to move into the new units this month.

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