District council­-owned houses in Darfield, some previously contaminated from methamphetamine, are in the process of being sold.

Houses 11 and 13 Ritso St have been sold while 5, 7 and 9 have condition agreements for sale in place and confirmation of the conditions are still pending.

The properties have been sold as residential dwellings.

It cost the district council more than $40,000 to decontaminate dwellings 1, 7 and 11 of Ritso St. Insurance met about $30,000 of the bill, the district council the rest.

Two houses – ­1 and 3 Ritso St – have been retained by the council because Darfield Sicon office is relocating to Rolleston’s Izone Business Hub next year.

The South Tce site will then be available for another tenant and if extra land is needed, 1 and 3 Ritso St could then be developed.

District councillor John Morten said the houses have been retained by the district council because it is unknown who the new tenant will be.

He said if a tenant wanted a larger site than the Darfield Sicon to build on, the Ritso St houses would be available for the expansion.

A section of land on 15 Ritso St has not sold and will be revalued and re-offered to Ngai Tahu.

Selwyn Times previously reported residents were concerned money from the sales would not go back to the Malvern community.

From the income of the sales $347,000 will go towards reducing the community’s loan in relation to McHughs Forest Park.

When the houses were initially bought the district council agreed to acknowledge the value that the Darfield community had invested as part of a land exchange proposal.

In the early 2000s, the district council proposed a reserve exchange to enable the reserve status the houses were formerly on to be lifted and the land to become freehold.

Reducing the community’s loan on McHughs Forest Park was part of the agreement.