Hutt City Council’s application to the Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) has been approved, with $98.9 million granted for major stormwater infrastructure upgrades.

The funding is integral to delivering RiverLink and much-needed Valley Floor housing intensification. This level of investment will mean that crucial upgrades to the city’s three waters infrastructure can be completed, including approximately two kilometres of new stormwater pipeline, pumping stations and outfalls.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says the infrastructure upgrades will unlock vital development and provide capacity for around 3,500 new homes.

“This funding is a significant gain for Lower Hutt as it will enable us to undertake desperately needed infrastructure investment to support the building of new homes as part of RiverLink and on our valley floor,” says Lower Hutt Mayor, Campbell Barry.
“We know we need to be enabling more homes to be built in our city. This funding will help do that, by delivering the necessary infrastructure upgrades to cater for growth” says Campbell Barry.

This comes from work done by Wellington Water last year to investigate capacity of the existing three waters infrastructure to cope with projected population growth on the valley floor. This identified the need for new stormwater and wastewater sewers and pumping stations.

Hutt City Councillor Simon Edwards says that this funding from Government will provide crucial support to the upgrades needed for the RiverLink project area and in the area between Hutt Central, Waterloo, Epuni, Woburn, Avalon, Naenae, and Taitā.

“Unlocking the capacity of the valley floor to allow development and more homes to be built is critical for our city.  Demand from more inner-city apartment dwellers as part of RiverLink will add vitality to the central business district's hospitality and retail sectors.

“With a growing population and urgent need for more housing we are very pleased to receive significant funding for building the necessary infrastructure to enable more homes to be built” says Councillor Edwards.

Central Government announced in March last year a $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund, with $1 billion set aside for investment in the likes of three waters infrastructure to support further housing development in the short to medium term.

More information on the IAF announcement can be found here in the Government's  media release.