Building for the future

ŌCHT delivered nearly 60 new homes this year. There’s more to come.

ŌCHT delivered nearly 60 new homes this year. There’s more to come.

ŌCHT will soon open the first homes in the biggest NGO community housing building project of its kind in New Zealand, after a year in which the global pandemic could not stop an investment and building programme that will get more people into warm, dry and secure community housing.

The trust finished four and continued work on three housing developments during 2020, with contractors pushing through the disruption caused by the Covid-19 lockdown and the movement through alert levels to deliver new, sometimes ground-breaking homes on time and on budget.

The developments are owned and managed by ŌCHT and are made possible with the support of the Christchurch City Council, which has invested in community housing for Christchurch by way of land and asset transfers and through the provision of a development loan to ŌCHT .

Charles St was ŌCHT’s first Homestar 6 development.

Charles Street, Waltham

ŌCHT opened its first Homestar 6- rated homes on Charles Street, Waltham, in February.

Charles St is made up of five, 2-bedroom homes and is occupied by five families.

They live in homes whose New Zealand Green Building Council rating says they are high quality, and are warmer, drier, healthier, and cost less to run than a typical new home built to the Building Code.

Charles St was also the first ŌCHT development to provide bike parking and shared green spaces – you’ll see more of these in future developments. Charles St was designed by Gravity Architecture and the build was led by Consortium Construction.

Hastings St East sits in front of the Brougham St development.

Hastings St East, Waltham

Lockdown was just a day away when seven, 2-bedroom homes were opened at Hastings St East, Waltham. Movement restrictions meant they sat empty over April, until Alert Level 4 was cut to Alert Level 3.

The new two-level homes were built on the site of community housing demolished to make way for modern homes and will be neighbours to ŌCHT’s Brougham St development, which is being built on the land behind.

Gardens provide shared spaces at Tīwaiwaka Lane.

Tīwaiwaka Lane, St Martins

Tīwaiwaka Lane, St Martins, was opened in July – just three days later than planned, despite the weeks-long holdups and disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic response.

The low-density development of 25 one-bedroom, and three 2-bedroom homes also meets Homestar 6 standards, ensuring it has what it takes to be warm and efficient, with a reduced environmental impact.

It provides a mix of single and two-level homes, with a central courtyard and shared gardens to enhance amenity and help develop a sense of community.

Tīwaiwaka Lane replaced the 30-unit Cresselly Place, which was demolished after the Canterbury earthquakes.

Homes sit beside communal green space at Reg Stillwell Place.

Reg Stillwell Place, New Brighton

The programme to improve and replace earthquake-damaged homes continued at New Brighton, on the boundary of the suburb and the Avonside Red Zone.

The 19-home development at Reg Stillwell Place was officially opened in November, reinvigorating a community housing site badly damaged in the earthquakes.

Six 1-bedroom units that survived the earthquakes were converted into modern, warm 1-bedroom homes, while the on-site community hall was converted into a modern 3-bedroom home. They were joined by 12 relocatable homes that began life as temporary accommodation for people waiting for their homes to be rebuilt after the earthquakes.

These homes were moved from Linwood Park in August, and refurbished at Reg Stillwell Place as two, three and four-bedroom homes.

The community is built around a large green space – including a basketball court – and each home has its own private garden space.

Coles Place, St Albans Gowerton Place, Richmond

Work has started at both these sites, where damaged and ageing community housing will be replaced with modern homes.

Old buildings were demolished in December ahead of consent and lead contractor details being finalised for the new year.

ŌCHT  proposes building 33 new homes at Coles Place, and 37 at Gowerton Place.

ŌCHT chief executive Cate Kearney and commercial and development manager Ed Leeson check on progress at Brougham St.

Brougham St, Sydenham

ŌCHT will open the first 28 of 90 homes at 356-402 Brougham St in late January, marking the start of a staged programme of openings at the biggest NGO-led  development of its kind in New Zealand.

The development has been designed to achieve a Homestar 7 rating, marking another milestone in ŌCHT’s commitment to deliver warm and efficient homes that provide as many health and environmental benefits as they can.

A dozen homes can be converted to have accessible bathrooms when needed, to ensure the homes are as responsive to needs as possible. Brougham St is being developed as three individual communities and green spaces, edible gardens, communal spaces and even e-bikes will enhance community life.

The two-level homes replace 89 community housing units that occupied the site before they were demolished in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes.

Thanks to our partners

ŌCHT is grateful for the hundreds of skilled people who have helped deliver so many new homes during a trying year.

Main contractors Consortium and Southbase have ensured the Trust’s projects have been built and finished to an exceptionally high standard, and the Trust looks forward to working with them
into the future.