Six new affordable housing units have been officially opened in Marysville today by Minister for Housing Wendy Lovell.
The Mt Kitchener Avenue properties and two new homes in Falls Road replace public housing destroyed in the bushfires of 2009.
“The new homes, both here and in Falls Road, show we can re-build quality public housing in bushfire-prone areas at an affordable price,” Ms Lovell said.
“The new homes I’m opening today not only provide high-quality affordable accommodation for local people, but the energy efficiency features also means lower fuel bills for the tenants.
“The homes also have a ‘Bushfire Attack Level’ rating of 19 under the revised Victorian Building Regulations to protect them against the threat of embers.
“This includes mesh on the weep holes in the mortar of the brickwork and an insert inside all exterior doors which drop on closing to ensure that all gaps are sealed,” Ms Lovell said.
Construction on the rebuilt Mt Kitchener homes started in April 2010, with each unit built on its own platform because of the seven metre slope on the property and the surrounding terrain.
The homes have a six-star energy rating, rooftop solar hot-water, double glazing to key windows.
Total cost of the project was $2.18 million, with funding coming through the Commonwealth Government’s Nation Building Social Housing Initiative.
One of the units in the new building is accessible for a person with a disability.
Member for Seymour Cindy McLeish said the new units were a welcome addition to affordable housing in the area.
“It’s great to know each of the six new units is tenanted with residents of Maryville or the local area,” Ms Lovell said.
“The new tenants have been re-housed from the temporary village that was established in Marysville after the fires and I wish them all the best in their new homes.”