Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dwight Sutherland has announced that five four-block units at Alleyne’s Court, Whitepark Road, will be completed by the end of October.
Sutherland said the rent-to-own units will address some of the housing challenges in the urban corridor. Ten per cent of the houses would be allocated to persons with disabilities.
The minister also indicated that an additional three ‘quads’ are to be built at Eden Lodge and construction has started on 11 metal homes from East-West Solutions (Barbados), at Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church.
“The design work has finished, Town and Country Planning and Development has approved it, and work has started there. This will provide another 10 to 12 houses at Sargeant’s,” Sutherland said, as he gave the House of Assembly an update on the Government’s 10 000 housing project. He was speaking on the Resolution: Section & Crown Lands (Vesting and Disposal) Act, Cap 225 relating to land at Brighton, St George.
He said: “Another six sites have received planning approval. Clifton in St Philip, that’s nine lots; Coconut Hall, in St Lucy, that’s another 22 lots. Then we go to River Crescent where we will be building some 62 houses.
“At River Crescent, the infrastructural works have been completed and I want to thank the private sector company who went in there and worked tirelessly day in and night to have this site ready for houses in this country.
“Grazettes Great House, another three quads we will be building, 12 houses. Branchbury East, St Joseph, we have some 13 lots; Concordia North, in St Philip, presently work has started there to do the necessary infrastructure on the land so we can build 144 houses there.”
Noting that the density challenges in the urban corridor must be addressed, Minister Sutherland said that one of the estates where there is difficulty is in the St Michael South East area.
He disclosed that the housing ministry recently signed off on developing 40 acres of land at Lower Burney, where the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and the commercial state-owned enterprise Hope Inc will build 280 houses. The remaining 20 acres will be developed in a joint venture partnership between the NHC and a private entity.
“We clearly see that this Government is focussed and it’s not all talk because we have started infrastructure works at most of these sites. Then we are going to Allen View. I have started discussion on Allen View, in St Thomas to address some of the challenges that we faced over the years from the last administration to make those residents comfortable. We have the land identified. The plans have started and hopefully within the next year and a half we should see some progress in St Thomas with respect to the Allen View residents,” he said.
Additionally, Sutherland explained that the vesting of land at Brighton will provide 42 houses in that area. He said that while Brighton is situated in an agricultural belt, it is not farm land.
“We are not taking away prime agricultural lands, we are utilising non agricultural lands in agricultural belts to provide housing solutions, not only for the people of St George South, but the people of St George South will get their fair share. And we are targeting low to medium to middle income brackets,” he said. (AH)
