Benje Patterson was commissioned by the developers of 1 Hansen Road, Queenstown to consider the economic and social impacts of a proposed worker accommodation complex that would contain 554 bedrooms (residential units) and house 710 people.
The full report by Benje Patterson on the potential economic and social impacts of the proposed Hansen Road worker accommodation complex is available for download here.
It’s not often you get to run the numbers on a single project which if pulled off in the way proposed could make a consequential impact to a longstanding problem. The proposed Hansen Rd worker accommodation complex is of a scale large enough to house around 10% of anticipated growth in rental accommodation need over the next decade. This type of worker accommodation is not for everyone, but the reality is that a large proportion of our workforce is young and popping in on a seasonal basis.
The location, within just 2km or so of more than 1 in every 5 Queenstown jobs, can also make active travel a reasonable choice for many.
At its heart, the report helps answer the following questions:
- Who are the workers in Queenstown Lakes that might need worker accommodation?
- What is the current availability of worker accommodation in Queenstown Lakes and what proportion of anticipated future worker housing demand could 1 Hansen Road satisfy?
- How do housing shortages disrupt economic activity and how much economic activity could be unlocked from the workers who would be housed at 1 Hansen Road?
- What job opportunities are located within a close proximity to 1 Hansen Road, that are quickly accessible by active travel and public transport?
Key findings
- Almost three quarters of Queenstown Lakes businesses have said the availability of staff accommodation is more than just a minor issue for their business, with one in three businesses saying the housing situation represents the biggest barrier to achieving optimal staffing levels.
- The proposed worker accommodation at 1 Hansen Road is anticipated to house 710 people, which would be sufficient to meet more than 10% of the expected increase in demand for rental accommodation (6,582 people) in Queenstown Lakes District over the next decade.
- The nature of tenancies and the living environment at Hansen Road will be orientated towards working age residents – and it is estimated that 694 of the 710 residents would be employed.
- Collectively the labour supplied by these workers living at 1 Hansen Road would generate around $60 million of GDP annually in the Queenstown Lakes economy, which is the equivalent of 1.5% of Queenstown Lakes’ current total GDP.
- Many existing job opportunities are situated close to Hansen Road, with more than 1 in 5 jobs (21.9%) in Queenstown-Lakes businesses located within two kilometres of 1 Hansen Road. This equates to 5,451 existing jobs close enough to be accessed by active travel. As a result, Hansen Road residents are likely to make less use of private vehicles during their daily routines, particularly compared to workers commuting from further afield, including those from Cromwell.
The full report by Benje Patterson on the potential economic and social impacts of the proposed Hansen Road worker accommodation complex is available for download here.