South Brighton residents fear 'rising crime, parties and nuisance' from emergency housing

Residents in the east Christchurch suburb of South Brighton are unhappy that emergency housing apartments may be built on a reserve in their quiet cul-de-sac.

A housing trust has been given the green light for a peppercorn lease on Blake Street and to build up to 10 relocatable homes for "single people who are living rough or hard".

Some Blake Street residents had expressed concern over the project, arguing the location was unsuitable.

South Brighton Residents Association chair Hugo Kristinsson lives directly opposite to the 81 Blake Street reserve.

He feared "rising crime, parties and nuisance".

"People that the trust [would pick] for this, they have typical needs, they have typical behaviour," he said.

"These are not single women or anything like that. These are people...males in their 40s or 50s, and some with mental problems. Is there any suburb that you know of that would welcome these people?"

The East Christchurch Housing Trust was approved to lease the land off the Christchurch City Council at a nominal cost in September.

A larger piece of red-zoned land on Admirals Way, New Brighton was also proposed by the trust during a presentation to the council earlier this year.

Kristinsson said the reserve, situated at the edge of the South Brighton estuary, was in a flood-risk area with inadequate ground conditions.

Instead, he felt the reserve should be developed into a community garden.

"You could build 15 houses for what you can build 10 houses for here. And they are much more permanent, at much lower flood risk, and they will be much more durable," he said.

"It doesn't make sense putting this sort of project in such a wrong area."

The section had previously been used for a 24-unit social housing complex.

It was demolished after sustaining damage during the Canterbury earthquakes.

Seamus O'Cromtha, who lives next door to Kristinsson, said Blake Street was too far from key amenities, like shops and healthcare providers.

"It would be bad for the people involved to be moved here, to be in collective units.

"If they're alcohol dependent there would be the danger of them swapping alcohol or procuring alcohol, if they're drug dependent the same thing would apply. So you wonder who is this going to benefit?"

Helen also lives on Blake Street.

The 80-year-old said she had delivered food parcels in the past and was saddened that more people were living rough.

But she said housing them on her street was not the answer.

"It's not that we don't care about these people, it's just what are they bringing into our street."

A young woman from a neighbouring street told Helen that she would no longer walk down Blake Street if emergency housing was there, she said.

A case of NIMBYism?

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said some in the community were thinking about worst case scenarios.

"People are worried about what could happen rather than what will happen," he said.

Another social housing development in Spreydon had proven the concept was effective, Mauger said.

"We've got to help these people go somewhere. They're all one bedroom [units] so people won't get into too much strife.

"The trust I'm sure will look after it because they wont want to see all their stuff smashed up."

RNZ asked Mauger if concerns were an example of NIMBYism ('Not in my back yard').

"There's possibly a bit of that," he replied.

Census data showed housing deprivation in Christchurch had increased.

As of May 2025, there were at least 1500 people on the social housing register awaiting placement.

East Christchurch Housing Trust chairman David Close said uneasiness among the community was misplaced.

"One cannot control anyone who lives in a street. For all I know there could be a great criminal person living in the street," he said.

"A person is entitled to live somewhere. These people are good people who are homeless and I don't see why they should be discriminated against."

Like other community housing developments, Close expected support service providers would manage tenants at 81 Blake Street, on the trust's behalf.

The trust was planning to commission a geotechnical assessment of the site, to check the location's viability.

Funding for the project also needed to be finalised.

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