Buller District Council to purchase the Temporary Accommodation Service’s Queen Street homes

The Buller District Council has agreed to purchase five properties in Westport from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS).

TAS built the properties at 177 Queen Street on land leased from the council, to support families displaced from their homes by the 2021 Westport flooding event.

The properties are no longer needed for temporary accommodation as the TAS Westport response was closed in September 2024.

Buller District Mayor Jamie Cleine says acquiring the five properties will enable the council to compound its community housing portfolio.

“The council will fund the purchase of the five Queen Street properties by selling one of its properties on Russell Street.

The sale price will allow council to retain sufficient funds from the sale of the Russell Street property to upgrade the Queen Street houses with accessibility ramps” says Mr Cleine.

Mayor Cleine continues “Acquiring the properties will improve the council’s community housing portfolio. With the district’s older population continuing to grow, this acquisition will enable council to support more seniors; all five Queen Street houses can be made accessible and are conveniently located within the Westport township.”

The final households supported by TAS in Westport moved out of temporary accommodation in September 2024 and the council showed strong interest in acquiring the Queen Street properties.

The ground lease on the Queen Street properties expires on 28 October 2024, and TAS has now received Cabinet approval to sell the five properties to the council.

The sale aligns with TAS’s previous divestment approaches, by encouraging ongoing social investment and benefit to the community.
The owners of Martin’s Mitre 10, Troy and Casey Scanlon are pleased to have worked together with Buller District Council on the purchase of the Russell Street council flats.

“This purchase will allow us to expand the business as our operational needs require, while allowing council to relocate tenants to a better standard of accommodation. At this stage, we are unsure how we will use the property and will be engaging with the Mitre 10 design team to develop options that fit the land and consent requirements while complementing our current operation.

We are excited to be working towards offering our customers and community an even better shopping experience at Martin’s Mitre 10 and look forward to announcing our plans in the future,” say Mr and Mrs Scanlon.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team 
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz