Ownership transfer of Russell pensioner units a win-win for council and the community

Ownership of four Far North District Council pensioner units at Russell was transferred to social housing provider the Duffus Memorial Trust this week.

The council decided last year to sell the units to the trust after consulting the community over plans to divest or change the way it manages its 157 pensioner units.

Five of 63 submissions received supported the transfer of the Russell units to the trust named after Robert and Lucy Duffus who gifted land at Long Beach Road in Russell for a convalescent hospital in 1908.

Council staff met trustees and trust supporters at the flats on September 12 to hand over keys after finalising the sale of the units for $32,904, the value of the outstanding mortgage.

District facilities operations manager Sue Hodge says she is delighted the council has been able to divest the units at Long Beach Road without compromising the interests of tenants.

Trust chairperson Lorraine Young says the trust is pleased to finally own the units after helping the Bay of Islands County Council build them in 1986 and making considerable financial contributions to the project.

"It's great that the council has allowed this to happen."

The next step for the trust is to tidy up the units it has renamed Duffus Estate.

It may also build more units on the 2.8-hectare site to meet demand for affordable pensioner housing in Russell.

"We could probably fill another three to four units."

The Bay of Islands County Council resolved in 1983 to build six pensioner units on the Long Beach Road site gifted by Robert and Lucy Duffus.

The council also resolved to form a trust to assume control of the Duffus Estate and establish housing for aged persons on the site or other land the trust acquired in Russell.

A High Court later ruled that the Long Beach Road site could only be used for pensioner, disabled persons and invalid housing, subject to them being able-bodied enough to live there.