Work starts to enable 150 new houses to be built in Flaxmere

An event held at the Flaxmere Town Centre today officially marked the start of the infrastructure build for three new housing developments that will provide about 150 new homes to the suburb.

In recognition of the partnership between Central Government, which helped fund the work, and Hastings District Council in bringing the council-owned land forward for development, Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods, along with Tukituki MP Anna Lorck, joined Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst to turn the sod for the start of the groundworks.

Also attending were representatives from other Hastings Place Based Housing plan partners: the Ministry of Housing and Development, Ministry of Social Development, Kāinga Ora, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, and Hastings district councillors.

Representatives of the contractors that have been selected to do the work, Downer and Fulton Hogan, were also there, along with community members.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said it was very exciting to be seeing this significant development getting underway, another tangible outcome from the Hastings Place Based Housing Plan.

“This is incredibly important mahi – with the kaupapa of well-being at its very core, and a commitment to doing our very best to ensure these houses are attainable for our first home buyers.

“We are determined that they will be more than just houses, they will be safe, warm, healthy, attractive homes in communities that our people will be proud to live in.

“With the recent announcement that Foodstuffs is to build a new New World supermarket in Flaxmere, combined with other council activities such as a new skate plaza being installed in Flaxmere Park and basketball hoops going up in our parks it really is Flaxmere’s time.”

Minister Woods said: “This is a fantastic example of the government working with councils, iwi and others based in the community to develop and implement joined up local solutions in Hastings.”

Today’s sod-turning took place at 30 Swansea Rd, behind the Flaxmere Village Shops, where work will begin in January next year, and is set to be complete at the end of 2022, yielding about 40 homes.

Also in January, works will start at 244 Flaxmere Ave, where provision has been made for about 45 houses to be built, with the civil works also due to be complete at the end of next year.

At Caernarvon Drive, next to the Flaxmere College sports fields, about 60 homes are planned with civil works set to be complete ready for the house building to start at the end of 2023.

The homes will be a minimum 6 Homestar-rated, which means they must exceed the standards set in the NZ Building Code. This will ensure they are warm, weathertight and energy-efficient.

The new subdivisions will also include trees, parking and modern street lighting.

22 February 2022

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