Arlington Development Update

In a milestone for the Arlington Development, most of the civil works have now been completed, meaning the site is now well prepared for building new much needed homes in central Wellington.

This has been a significant task given the complexity of the site. Its uneven terrain, complex decontamination requirements, along with the usual Wellington seismic strengthening requirements for a large multi-storey building development like this mean this is a good step forward for developing a site in a prime location that has been underutilised for many years due to these challenges.

However, before we start above ground construction of the homes, we need to take another look at costs and plans given the significant cost escalation since the project began. These issues impact the entire sector, but are particularly significant for a large, complex development such as this.

We’re absolutely committed to delivering housing at our Arlington Development, and it’s appropriate to take another look at plans and costs to make sure we are getting the best value and outcomes from such an important site in central Wellington.

Kāinga Ora is now in the process of making changes to the original plans that will allow us to maintain around the same number of homes, high quality design and community amenity. We will be able to ensure reduced costs alongside quality outcomes through applying the efficiencies of our new Housing Delivery System. This new design and construction method enables reliability, quality, and reduced cost and time to deliver public housing, ensuring the Arlington construction programme is feasible. The increased reliability of the new Housing Delivery System, which is also being applied in over 20 other places throughout NZ, also means more reliable key construction timeframes.

The changes to the original plans will mean we need to apply for a new resource consent in early 2024, a process which allows the benefit of aligning with Wellington’s Proposed District Plan

This is part of wider work in the area to deliver new homes. Kāinga Ora has added 110 new public homes to our inner Wellington City portfolio over the past year and there are over 100 more homes coming into service in the next few months, including our 80-home development at nearby Rolleston.