Roger Fewtrell, who is building affordable homes across the city, said he had approached a council planner with a suggestion to erect two-bedroom container homes that he would then lease to the council for occupation by homeless people, but was told the plan would not meet the building code.
"Do they think the tents that people are living in at the Oval park meet the building code?
"The council doesn’t give a s...
"They just sit on their hands and eat muffins."
Russell Lund, who has built 30 high-specification apartments within the Loan and Mercantile building now being rented to people with an urgent housing need, said he was dismayed at the lack of progress of Mayor Jules Radich’s plan to convert Aaron Lodge Holiday Park into rooms for the homeless.
"It doesn’t pass the smell test that it [Aaron Lodge] can’t be economically reused.
"With the right people like me we could very quickly establish what needs to be done.
"It can’t be that arduous to do and seems to me odd [that it hasn’t happened].
"If the mayor wants to do something about the homeless he should buy it and do what is required, but I don’t think anything is happening."
The former holiday park is lying empty and is owned by the government’s housing agency Kāinga Ora, which has not developed the site, and has previously told the Otago Daily Times there is no plan to sell the park to the council and the park is in a state of disrepair.
Earlier this month, Mr Radich issued a statement saying the "instant outcome" he had hoped for — the use of Aaron Lodge for homeless people — was not going ahead.
He had written to Housing Minister Chris Bishop last month — in partnership with Presbyterian Support Otago, the Salvation Army and the Night Shelter — to seek support for his plan, but had received a letter from the minister saying Aaron Lodge was "not a viable option" because of the extensive upgrades needed.
However, Mr Bishop said the council was welcome to carry out its own checks at its own cost.
Mr Lund said as far as he was concerned, his development of the Loan and Mercantile building to house homeless people demonstrated that affordable accommodation standards could be high compared with standards of Kāinga Ora social housing.
The agency could "get stuffed".
The building’s social housing was "brilliant".
Both Mr Fewtrell and Mr Lund expressed frustration at the council’s $13 million capital expenditure on buying Forbury Park when homes were urgently needed for the homeless.
A council spokesperson said it was "unfortunate that the mayor’s proposal for Aaron Lodge has not been supported by other parties to date".
The buying of Forbury Park was a "strategic acquisition designed to open up additional options for flood alleviation and climate adaptation in South Dunedin, which are being considered as part of the South Dunedin Future programme".
It was done following supportive feedback given during community consultation.
The council remained focused on achieving a multi-agency approach to homelessness in the city as explained in its housing action plan, they said.
Kainga Ora regional director Kerrie Young said the agency had upwards of 2500 public housing properties in Otago and Southland and a large proportion were among the oldest in the country.
It was working hard to deliver new warm, dry public housing that met people’s needs.
Kainga Ora homes were built to be operationally efficient, last as public assets and cater for the needs of social housing customers, and often exceeded current building codes and regulations, she said.
Cr Sophie Barker said the council should open the door to developers.
"They should be given the red carpet — not the red tape — treatment.
"It is amazing, and I admire so much, that they [the developers] are getting stuff done on the ground at a time when action is urgently needed.
"It is frustrating that they are not centrally at the table of discussions and decisions to solve the crisis."
