Twenty new two and three-bedroom Kāinga Ora apartments are on Lake Rd. Photo / Supplied
Twenty new two and three-bedroom Kāinga Ora apartments are on Lake Rd. Photo / Supplied
A Rotorua developer who has just finished building 20 apartments for Kāinga Ora says social houses do not need to look like cheap and nasty “eyesores”.
The 17 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes at 139 Lake Rd will be blessed at a ceremony for invited guests at 10am tomorrow , before the homes are opened at 11am for the public to have a look through.
Developer Tony Bradley’s company, TBP Properties, built the houses and managed the project . Kāinga Ora has now bought the homes.
New apartments on Lake Rd built by TBP Properties for Kainga Ora. Photo / Supplied
Bradley said he approached the building project the same as he would with any of his own housing developments.
“You can make social housing look nice and take a bit of pride in your work. There are a few social houses... around town that look cheap and nasty but I wanted to show people that social housing doesn’t have to be an eyesore.”
Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said in a statement the arrangement of getting the build partners to take care of the project until completion meant the houses could be built faster.
“Kāinga Ora worked proactively with TBP Properties to ensure the homes were built to a high standard and will meet the needs of our customers and communities.”
Toy said anyone was welcome to come to the open home at 11am.
“We continue to plan and deliver more houses in Rotorua for those most in need of a warm, dry and suitable place to call home.”
He said about 330 homes were forecast to be delivered by Kāinga Ora by the end of June 2025.
“These new homes will make a real difference meeting some of the demand for more housing in Rotorua. They will also make a real difference for the whānau moving in.”
What’s next for Bradley?
Tony Bradley at his Lake Rd Kāinga Ora development during the building stage in January. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Bradley said he was now “full steam ahead” to finish similar apartments on Fairy Springs Rd for Kāinga Ora.
He said the 15 two-bedroom double storey homes would be finished by the end of October.
The homes are at 149 to 151 Fairy Springs Rd on the corner with Amokura St.
Fifteen Kāinga Ora apartments are being built by Tony Bradley's company on Fairy Springs Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner
Bradley said given there were now “lots of subbies” working in the area, he had recognised congestion issues on the Amokura St cul-de-sac.
He said as of Monday next week, he would lease a paddock off local iwi opposite the site on Fairy Springs Rd for contractors to park their vehicles.
“I was down there the other day and it was chaos so I’ve been proactive about it and got somewhere for everyone to park to keep everyone on the street happy. We want to minimise the disruption for locals as much as possible given we will have workers in there until October.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
