Central Otago’s mayor and deputy mayor want council staff to push on with housing policy that enables different housing typologies for its future developments.

Mayor Tim Cadogan and deputy mayor Neil Gillespie were strong in their words at last week’s council meeting, that not enough had been done to make this happen. 

They were also the only ones who supported the Central Otago Affordable Housing Trust being able to create subsidised housing for residents last year.

Following the decision that council not gift land to the housing trust, a policy was approved in August 2022 that council-led developments should consider including the provision for different housing typologies, using the urban design innovation model.

But, Tim said this week, due to staffing unavailability to do that very specialist work, a consultant would have to be used, and that came at a considerable cost to ratepayers.

“We are going to have to look at it and decide which way to go.”

The housing policy would then be used for the next stage of Cromwell’s Gair Ave development, to create a range of housing on smaller sections - creating affordable housing.

Neil said last week they were just sitting there going nowhere, “and that can’t happen.”

However, Stage 4 of Dunstan Park was underway and Stroud Homes was offering Duplex housing on 290sqm sections, which were all being snapped up.

But, Tim said developers needed to go even more beyond duplex living and move into apartment building as well.

“We’re in a pickle. There’s no question about it. There is a shortage of housing. There is a shortage of the right type of housing.”

Holiday home owners were another problem as they were arriving in Central Otago in droves to buy up houses, which stayed empty for large parts of the year and stopped families in need from having somewhere to live.

“There is a growing disparity between the haves and the have nots.  And, so we’re a very small council in a very small country, that are dealing with a global inequity that is allowing people to own multitudes of houses that they might not even rent out.”

Moving forward, the Central Otago Housing Focus Group was about to carry out a refreshed needs assessment for Central Otago.

It will collate data that council can use to show both the community and central government that we have a real need here. 

“You can’t create policy out of anecdotes,” Tim said.

The group was made up of Rebecca Williams (CODC), Mat Begg (Central Lakes Trust), Sandra O’Neill (chair), Peter Griffen (landlord and community rep), along with Central Otago Affordable Housing trustee Mary Flannery.

Listen to more here on The Outlet podcast.