Housing project to pick up next year

Housing Minister Dwight Sutherland has given assurances to the nation that despite setbacks, the government’s ambitious 10,000-home construction project is finally gaining momentum, with significant progress expected in the new year under its HOPE and steel-frame housing initiatives.

Initially, the government set an ambitious target of constructing 10 000 houses in five years to address the backlog of 20 000 applications at the National Housing Corporation (NHC). The houses were to be constructed in-house via the NHC, in collaboration with the Rural Development Commission (RDC), Urban Development Commission (UDC), Home Ownership Providing Energy (HOPE), and through joint ventures with the private sector.

But over the past three years, only 1 337 houses have been constructed due to challenges with labour, weather, land acquisition, and shipping delays, the minister acknowledged.

As he opened Solaris Court housing project at White Park Road, St Michael, Sutherland provided a breakdown of the housing project, adding that construction is expected to accelerate in the new year, particularly under the HOPE project and the steel-frame housing initiative.

The minister reported that 974 of the 1337 houses were built by the public sector, while the private sector accounted for 349. Public sector housing solutions were delivered through the East-West Project, HOPE Inc, NHC’s Joint Venture programme, the Hurricane Elsa project, and the ministry’s relocation projects.

Under HOPE, 146 houses were completed, including 75 at Vespera Gardens, Lancaster, St James, and 11 Duravilla houses at Clifden, St Philip.

In relation to the Hurricane Elsa rebuilds, 513 homes were reconstructed by the UDC, RDC, and NHC, while 679 homes were repaired. The government spent over $58 million on rebuilds and $27 million on repairs.

For residents affected by land slippage or requiring relocation due to squatting, 29 homes were rebuilt. These included five residents relocated from White Hill, St Andrew, and 20 from Rock Hall, St Philip.

Under the East-West Project, which involves expert Chinese steel-frame housing contractors, 95 housing solutions were erected, comprising single detached units, quadruplexes, and duplexes. An additional 22 units are at various stages of construction in Bullens, St James; Sargeants Village, Christ Church; and River Crescent, St Philip. Another 33 units are expected to be completed at Dodds North by May 2025.

Sutherland acknowledged the challenges surrounding the East-West Project. Following Hurricane Elsa in 2021, the government sought to purchase 150 light gauge steel-frame houses, but delays in shipping and labour-related issues, including visa and paperwork challenges for contractors, caused significant setbacks. The project also faced substantial cost overruns, rising from an estimated $23.64 million to $52.72 million.

This issue garnered widespread media attention and became a hot topic on the radio call-in programme Down To Brass Tacks, where callers expressed frustration over the steel frames reportedly rusting at a storage facility in Six Roads, St Philip.

He said: “We have 25 Chinese workers in the country; back then they couldn’t come in because of challenges with transit visas, but they were able to clear that, and that’s why we saw such speed occurring . . . The material that has been used to construct these East-West houses are the materials that have been floating about social media in Six Roads. I encourage people to go to Six Roads and have a look and see now what is the state of Six Roads where we stored the containers for these houses. It is a totally different state; we have utilised all of that material . . . And I say without any apology that we have solved the problems that we had with the East-West Project and we will soon deliver the East-West Project to you, the 150 houses to you.”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb