Eighteen mixed one, two and three-bedroom single-storey social housing homes are proposed for the site at 24 Middlebrook Rd, close to the sports fields in Katikati.

Construction is currently under way at the site to develop an access road.

The 0.72-hectare piece of land was bought by Kainga Ora from the Western Bay of Plenty District Council in 2021 for $2,086,272 as part of five strategic land purchases in the Bay of Plenty.

The site was among the plans for 230 new homes destined to be built for public housing in Tauranga, Rotorua and Katikati.

Kāinga Ora regional director Bay of Plenty Darren Toy says the Middlebrook Rd site is to help meet the demand for social housing in this part of the Western Bay of Plenty.

“The resource consent application for them is currently being considered by Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

“Although we are continuing with the consenting process, this project is under assessment while we work through decisions about our future social housing pipeline in the Bay of Plenty and across the country.”

“We are working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to confirm locations it would like prioritised under the Public Housing Plan and our approach to housing renewal while looking to ensure best value for money across all our projects.’’

Darren says they will keep the stakeholders and the community up to date as decisions are made.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council owns and is currently carrying out work to develop the access road.

Director transportation Calum McLean says the road carriageway construction is under way and is expected to be completed in early November.

“The road carriageway will be 8m wide and 210m long, eventually connecting to Wills Rd when the intervening land is developed,” he says.

J Swap is the contractor and the construction cost is $1.436 million.

The work includes a 1.5m wide footpath on the southern side of the road, a 2.5m wide shared path on the northern side of the road and there will be street parking for 26 vehicles.

There will be water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, streetlights and a temporary turning head.

Topsoil from the works will be retained on site and used to maintain the adjacent sports fields, he says.

The Kainga Ora proposed homes are under consent and expected to be available in late 2025, according to Kainga Ora’s website.

The homes destined for all the land packages will be carpeted, insulated and double-glazed with thermal curtains. The homes will be sited on landscaped sections with private outdoor living areas, including parking.

The Ministry of Social Development decides who qualifies for public housing based on need.

MSD carries out an assessment to determine applicant eligibility, then Kāinga Ora and community housing providers assess the available properties and place people based on need and eligibility.