Ian Wilkinson outside his family's house in Hastings which could soon be surrounded by two-storey public housing. Photo / Paul Taylor
Ian Wilkinson outside his family's house in Hastings which could soon be surrounded by two-storey public housing. Photo / Paul Taylor
The Wilkinson family thought their dreams had come true when they bought their first home in 2019 in Hastings.
Then came a Kāinga Ora proposal.
The Government organisation plans to knock down its social housing around the family of four's property in Mayfair and put up two-storey duplexes.
That planwould turn six homes into 24 social houses. Two old state homes have already been demolished and cleared from the site.
The Wilkinson's Grove Rd home would be in the middle of the housing development with the new homes to be built on all sides except the Grove Rd frontage.
The development is part of a bid to help meet the chronic need for social housing in the city - more than 800 people were on the waitlist for a house in Hastings in March.
The proposed layout of the homes. The home (circled) is owned by the Wilkinson family.
Housing density in Hastings is set to be a key issue in coming years, as the Government and Hastings District Council look to increase housing stocks in the district, without expanding too far onto the fertile soils of the Heretaunga Plains.
A Hastings District Council hearing is now being held tomorrow to consider the Wilkinsons' objections about the proposal - they were the only ones to formally raise concerns about the plans.
Ian Wilkinson said privacy, traffic and density issues were the main factors behind their complaint and they would not be concerned if the project wasn't so dominated by two-storey homes.
He said views would be lost and the house he bought three years ago would be devalued.
"That is a given. There is no privacy - there are just duplexes looking into our backyard."
The project site is close to Splash Planet and stretches from Grove Rd to Sussex St.
Wilkinson said Kāinga Ora had offered to buy their home just a few months after the family bought it in 2019.
"They did not say why they wanted to buy it they just said 'we may be having developments around here and we thought you might want to sell'," Wilkinson said.
"If they had shown us [some plans] or been a bit more transparent about what their intentions were we probably would have thought 'we are in a bit of a stink spot - let's try and sell now while we can'."
Artist image of what the proposed housing could look like in the future along Sussex St.
He said he and his wife knocked back the offer, not wanting to buy again after just moving in.
Naomi Whitewood, regional director East North Island, Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, said in the past 18 months and since the early stages of the planning for the development, the organisation tried to "engage multiple times" with the owners, through phone calls, door knocking, letters and emails about options to buy the house.
"Throughout these attempts to engage, we have either not had a response, or – as in our most recent proposal following a mediation session in June – discussions were not able to proceed as their expectations significantly exceeded market valuations," Whitewood said.
"The door is and will remain open for a conversation around options to purchase this home, but must be in line with market valuations."
Kāinga Ora did not say how much they were willing to offer for the home.
Wilkinson said they had not received any fresh offers since 2019, and he would be open to selling now he knew the detailed plans.
The agency earlier responded to some of the Wilkinsons' objections in a report prepared for tomorrow's hearing.
That report says the Government organisation will install fixed louvres on some windows "to prevent overlooking" and also use obscured glazing on bathroom windows for privacy.
The report stated that public housing was in very high demand in the region and more was needed.
"Housing need is significant in Hastings, with median home prices increasing substantially over the past several years," the report read.
A graph showing how the wait list has rapidly grown in the Hastings district for people needing social housing.
"In March 2017, there were 102 applicants on the MSD Housing Register within the Hastings District.
"In contrast, in March 2022, there were 804 applicants on the MSD Housing Register within the Housing District."
Kāinga Ora manages 1223 dwellings across the Hastings district.
"Between 2021 and 2024, Kāinga Ora intends to construct approximately 400 new dwellings in Hastings."
