New social housing complex for Brougham Street

Ninety new social housing units will be built on the old Brougham Village site in Sydenham by the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (OCHT).

Construction on the new housing is about to begin, with the first homes expected to  be ready for tenants in early 2021.

OCHT will own and manage the housing, which will be made up of 70 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, three three-bedroom units and three four-bedroom units.

The planned complex will help OCHT achieve its goal of replacing the 89 social housing units that were demolished after the earthquakes.

“This development is a significant investment for the Trust. We have put a great deal of thought into the planning and minimised the build density to accommodate enhanced community amenity,'' says OCHT Chief Executive Cate Kearney.

"The development will have green spaces, safe areas for children to play and communal garden areas.  Building community through safety and amenity has been the driver of the number of homes on the Brougham Street site.''

Christchurch City Council has transferred the land to OCHT and also invested in the project by providing a $30 million development loan.

“The Council provided the loan to OCHT because it is committed to increasing the number of social housing units within Christchurch for people in need,’’ says Councillor Sara Templeton, Chair of the Council's Sustainability and Community Resilience Committee.

“A substantial portion of the loan will be spent on this new development on Brougham Street.’’  

The new homes will be built by Southbase to the New Zealand Green Building Council’s Homestar 6 standard so they will be warm, dry and healthy homes.

Tenants for the new Brougham Street housing will be taken from the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register, which currently includes 800 people needing accommodation in Christchurch.