Barbadians seeking to own a piece of the rock are being promised a range of housing solutions to choose from, beginning in a matter of weeks.
Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dr William Duguid promised that he would ensure that Barbadians seeking a house would be able to afford it.
“I have some very ambitious plans,” said Duguid, two weeks into his new ministry.
The former Minister of Transport, Works and Maintenance told Barbados TODAY that the first offering of housing solutions would be in a matter of weeks at Deanstown Heights, St James where some 56 lots would be sold “as a matter of urgency”.
“They were priced at $23 dollars [per square foot]. The price has been reduced by the board to $18, so that we can get a quick sale. Once we get those going, then the next place I will be moving to is Todds, St George. Todds has some lots that we are hoping to build some units there,” said Duguid.
He said a part of his “big plan” for housing in Barbados was to identify and utilise vacant lots owned by Government, especially those in areas with road infrastructure already in place.
“So we have a mix of solutions. Some solutions will be just land and they will be mainly middle class or lower middle-class areas. Some solutions will be for the working class people and they will be houses or units,” promised Duguid.
“So we are going through and looking at every single thing – looking at what we can do first to fit that requirement for housing solutions in Barbados. So it is a wide mix,” he insisted.
Pointing out that his preferred housing solution was the construction of quad units (apartment blocks of four), Duguid explained, “I like them because of the density.
“It allows four families to be housed on what would be between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet as oppose to a single lot . . . So we are going to find the best fit for everybody – so some land, some single houses, some of what we call multi-houses and some duplexes – but a whole range of opportunities to fit everybody’s pocket,” he said.
