Boom coming

Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Dwight Sutherland today promised that a housing boom is coming to Barbados as he outlined several housing projects across the country to take residents out of squalor.

Providing an update on those projects, some of which have already started, Sutherland explained that Government was keen on moving residents from unsafe environments.

“We need to move with haste and we have no time to waste and persons telling us we [are] too hasty. When you have people living in squalor we have to move with alacrity,” he said.

Sutherland was introducing a resolution in Parliament on Tuesday, for the acquisition of three parcels of land – two in Kensington New Road, St Michael totalling 11,480 square feet, and one in Beckles Land, New Orleans totalling 37,529 square feet.

He said the purpose of the acquisition was to provide housing to initially relocate seven families from Murphy’s Pasture, Chapman Lane in the City, which he said was prone to flooding and consisted of poor living conditions.

“Issues such as sanitisation, infections from rodents and disease from mosquitoes, these are some of the challenges we will face if we don’t address this challenge at Murphy’s Pasture,” said Sutherland.

“In addition to the challenges with the drainage, we have pit toilets. Persons still living in Barbados with pit toilets. So we are here to acquire these lands to address not only the flooding issue . . . we have to re-site some residents,” he said.

He reported that eight units can be constructed at the Kensington New Road location and another 12 at the Beckles Road site – three quadruplexes or 12 three-bedroom housing solutions.

He said this will form part of Government’s wider urban regeneration programme to help address some of the social and economic problems through improvement of the physical environment.

“The silent housing revolution that we have embarked upon since last year encompasses urban regeneration in its different forms,” he said.

He pointed to “poor housing” conditions in the urban corridor and the non-existence of basic services in some areas including Greenfields just outside Bridgetown. He expressed concern about the size of the road and the threat it posed should there be a fire.

He said Government would be doing all it could to revive the City and make it into a place “where people will want to do business, go to school and earn a living and recreate”.

“You are going to see a housing boom,” he declared, as he highlighted several of the housing projects already in train.

Sutherland indicated that the five four-block units at Alleyne’s Court, Whitepark Road would be completed “before the end of this year”. This area is to house people from Greenfields.

“Persons will have their keys before the end of the year for those 20 units. We are now doing the external works, the road works,” said Sutherland.

He also highlighted the construction of approximately 700 affordable renewable energy-powered homes under the Home Ownership Providing Energy (HOPE) Inc. and 150 houses to be completed this financial year under the East-West projects, as well as the importation of the 350 hardwood houses from Guyana. Delivery of the  latter should start at the end of this month, he told the Lower Chamber.

The 350 houses are estimated to cost some $20 million, and are being paid for from the Housing Credit Fund.

Sutherland said the construction of some of the houses under the Hope Inc. project is to begin soon in Colleton and Coconut Walk in St Lucy. There will also be construction of four four-block units at Sayes Court, Christ Church.

“We will build some more because we have land at Mason Hall Street,” he added.

He said it was government’s intention to build “resilient housing” in Exmouth Gap, St Michael.

“Whether it is high-rise, whether it is quads, we are still debating that.” he said while indicating his preference for high-rise accommodation.

“Then we have to discuss whether we are going to amend the Condominium Act and give those persons the opportunity to have 30-year, rent-to-own and then own the properties. That is how they live in the first world,” said Sutherland.

“These are some of the things this Government is doing,” he said.

Also providing an update on the Rock Hall, St Philip squatters, Sutherland said during a recent visit to that sprawling illegal settlement he saw several children living in hazardous conditions.

“I look at those little children and I ask myself if a fire breaks out they don’t know anything about illegal settlements, they were born and raised in an area that is illegal,” he said.

“I stumbled on a house at Rock Hall with seven water metres . . . and I stumbled into some homes where they have electrical connections, and I understand they were running from house A to house B to house C,” said Stuherland.

He said the approximately 253 residents at that location “should be moved as soon as possible”. The process of relocation started earlier this year and the residents are to move to Leadvale, Concordia Gardens, Parish Land Extension, Clifton and Carpenter’s Glade in St Philip.

The housing minister indicated that the planned retrofitting of the old Treasury building, the Constitution River Redevelopment Project, the Golden Square Freedom Park and Church Village Green formed part of the urban regeneration scheme.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb