Housing NZ have accepted our invitation to speak to us at our next monthly meeting on Tuesday 14 August. The presentation will cover the developments currently underway or planned in Meadowbank and St Johns, background on how Housing NZ decide what type of development to put on each site, some specific updates on Purewa Rd and Puroto St, as well as opportunity for questions.
The next meeting is at St Chads Church at 38 St Johns Rd. Meeting start at 7:30pm
To provide some background: thanks to the persistence of Grant Dickson and his team at Purewa / Puroto, on Friday 20 July the Residents Association finally met with Housing NZ (HNZ) about the development on Purewa Road. It’s taken more than two years to get this meeting!
Grant chaired the meeting, which was attended by OLB Vice-Chair Carmel Claridge, (now past) MSJRA Chair Tim Duguid and Treasurer, Barry Stewart, and a team of six from HNZ.
We noted the two main issues that residents have with this development: design and process. Specifically, the open stairwells and other aspects of the building and grounds; and the lack of consultation, which has been perceived, rightly or wrongly, as disingenuous. We emphasised, as we have in our correspondence to HNZ that we’re not opposed to developments by HNZ in our suburbs, that such a view would be inconsistent with the purpose of our Association, and that we’re not arguing against density or intensification. On the contrary, Grant put the view very eloquently that by consulting meaningfully with residents, better outcomes could be achieved for the whole community, including the HNZ tenants. Indeed we look forward to new arrivals in our suburbs joining our Association.
We’re pleased to report that HNZ listened to our concerns, and that they committed to engaging further with the community. Without promising wholesale changes to the building or site form, HNZ will review design details, including the stairwells, with Grant’s team, which includes an architect. A team from HNZ will also present to MSJRA before the start of construction, most likely at our meeting on Tuesday 14 August*. HNZ will also meet with the OLB in a workshop session.
HNZ is a significant landowner in our suburb and we hope this marks the start of a better engagement with our community.
Meanwhile, here’s the first colour image of the development on Purewa Rd that we have seen (view from towards the Orakei Basin end of Purewa Road).
