The Kāinga Ora Blockhouse Bay development reflects good policy
Recently Kāinga Ora has been in the news with plans to redevelop a former Auckland Council elderly housing site for social housing. The community is concerned as there are no plans for any of the new units to be dedicated for seniors.
The land was gifted to Auckland City Council for the explicit purpose of elderly housing. However, the agreement which saw it transferred to Housing New Zealand (the predecessor to Kāinga Ora) in 2002 did not make a requirement for it to be held for this purpose.
I understand some of the concerns, however, the underpinning reason for Kāinga Ora to redevelop this site, is to relocate senior housing into or adjacent to town centres.
As people get older, their mobility reduces and many lose the confidence or ability to drive. Building accessible, fit-for purpose housing for elderly in town centres makes a lot of sense. It provides them with access to everyday amenities and services, including health care and social support and access to effective public transport options. All of which is key to maintaining their independence as they get older.
Already underway, is the Highbury Triangle project in the Avondale Town Centre. This project turns 45 older former Council houses into 236 modern apartments, across 5 buildings ranging in 6 to 8 storeys, delivering effective use of the land. 192 of the new apartments will be dedicated for elderly and are being built to universal design standards and a NZ Green Building Council Homestar 7 rating. Many of the units will be 1.5 bedroom apartments, designed with space to allow for a carer to stay if needed and each senior housing block will include a parking area for mobility scooters.
Central Avondale is an ideal location for housing development for older people. There are two frequent bus routes that connect to New Lynn as well as the City Centre. The Avondale train station provides easy connections to other parts of the city and from 2026 when the City Rail Link opens, will be on the East West Line, providing a faster connection and more frequent connection to the City Centre and beyond.
The Town Centre has many eateries, health services including doctors, dentists, pharmacies and physio, hairdressers, dairies and a small supermarket. Eke Panuku have a new Library and Town Square planned to start construction this year and more than 500 other apartments are already complete, underway or consented, which will support more local businesses and the growth of this local centre. Locating senior housing in accessible locations like town centres supports residents to maintain their independence.
The Avondale town centre is not the only location where this approach is being taken but it also reflects the overarching strategy for Kāinga Ora to repurpose and make better use of existing land holdings. The Highbury Triangle development will free up about five hectares of public housing land, allowing Kāinga Ora to replace and consolidate several ageing senior housing complexes across Avondale and Blockhouse Bay.
The site in Blockhouse Bay has 51 homes but many are dilapidated and some are abandoned. The plan to redevelop the site will see 68 new homes with a mix of terraced, standalone and duplex houses, ranging from 2 to 5 bedrooms. This is really positive to see.
The social housing waitlist has decreased recently but is still around 24,000. Addressing our overall housing shortfall and creating better housing stock will take a combination of new social and market housing. Making better use of public land is a critical part of this.