Affordable pensioner housing development ‘likely to be declined’

An affordable housing project planned for Tākaka is unlikely to go ahead, after Tasman District Council staff indicated its resource consent was likely to be declined.

The Golden Bay/Mohua Affordable Housing Project (GBMAHP) planned to build 14 flats for seniors or people with disabilities in Reilly St, Tākaka.

GBMAHP executive officer Chris Bennett said the council stance was a shame, as the project was well progressed and had been shortlisted for a $3 million Government’s Affordable Housing funding grant.

“It’s particularly disappointing, since we had expression of interest in the pensioner flats from 27 individuals,” he said.

“What is the plan to cater for these people now? None, unfortunately.”

Bennett said the project’s engineers and planners considered that all the risks from flooding could be mitigated.

The Tasman District Council had statutory responsibility and it “was their call”, but Bennett said the project wished they had been advised of their new approach in February when they were given the “yellow light” to proceed, then they wouldn’t have spent some $50,000 in time and consulting fees in the intervening period.

At that time the project was given four pages of issues to address by the council.

In emails sent to Bennett, the council said the application would most likely be recommended to be declined, based on issues around flood hazards.

Staff said that “simply putting dwellings on piles” didn’t sufficiently mitigate flood risk, as people would be unable to leave their homes or obtain emergency supplies in a flood event.

While Bennett agreed that many aspects of the proposed location were less than ideal, on balance it was suitable for purpose and was the only option they had to address the needs in the community.

If the council rejected the planned development, it should formally confirm they would not be permitting any infill development within Tākaka township where there was a risk of flooding, irrespective of mitigation measures, Bennett said.

That would mean any future development had to be outside the township, and would likely be on highly productive land.

Council staff, in response, wrote that there were five sites for potential growth: Rototai St/Meihana, the site next to Fresh Choice, Park Avenue and Tākaka-Collingwood highway.

There was also other residential zoned land that had not yet been developed, such as the co-housing site in Tākaka, the Commercial St and Motupipi St zoned area, Arapeta Place, and the rural residential zone in Central Tākaka, and remaining undeveloped sections on the Windle subdivision.