The first concrete pour at the new Friendship Lane elderly persons housing project has happened this week.

Sixteen units are being built there, to replace 16 pensioner units that were built in the 1970s.

Mayor Neil Brown and councillors visited the Friendship Lane project this week to talk with contractors and see progress.

“The old units have been demolished and the contractor has boxed up the floors of the new units, ready for the concrete pour, which is happening over two days. Putting up the framing will be the next job.”

The first concrete pour on Wednesday started at 7am, with four slabs completed – each slab has 18 cubic meters of concrete. The other four slabs will be poured next week.

The units are being built in pairs, with the first tenants expected to have moved in before the end of 2025.

The project is being managed by Council with support from Logic Group and the contractor is BP Construction. The rebuild will cost just under $4 million (excluding GST) and has qualified for funding from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Mayor Brown said it was good to see many of the subcontractors and tradies working on the project were locally based in the Ashburton District.

“The contractors are doing their best to ensure all the other residents who live in other units at Friendship Lane are disrupted as little as possible, and I thank them for their patience while this important project is under way.”

The new units each have one bedroom and a living area, with kitchen and laundry space, as well as an outdoor patio area. They will be heated by heat pumps.