File photo. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Kāinga Ora has plans for 140 new homes in Blenheim, to meet increasing demand for housing in the region.
Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast regional director Julia Campbell said Kāinga Ora was proposing to replace a number of existing homes in Central Blenheim, Mayfield, Redwoodtown and Riversdale and purchase new builds from developers over the next two years.
The largest developments will see 15 new two-bedroom homes built on South Street for transitional housing and 13 new homes, a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom properties across three sites on Stratford Street.
Campbell said it planned to use existing land to replace outdated homes with modern, warm and dry homes which better met customers needs.
"As many of these homes are still in the early design stages, some of the details could change. However, at this stage, we expect most of the homes to be completed in 2024/2025, except for some of the larger developments which could take longer."
As of June, there were 216 people on the public housing register in Marlborough and Campbell said the developments would help to address the need for housing in the region.
Two drop in sessions will be held at the Marlborough Library in Blenheim on Monday and Tuesday next week, for residents to learn more about the proposed developments.