Government to prioritise derelict building revival

The government is to revive long-stalled plans to convert derelict public and private buildings into homes, offices, and rental units as it approaches 60 years of independence, the new Housing Minister, Chris Gibbs, has told Barbados TODAY.

At the Technical and Vocational Education Training Council’s fourth Barbados Annual Construction and Design Conference at Sandals Royal, Maxwell, Christ Church, on Wednesday, Gibbs outlined his vision for rehabilitation and repurposing as the island approaches 60 years of independence.

“Yes, they are [still on the cards] and my vision for the renovation, rehabilitation and repurposing of derelict housing is that from here on now, to next year, as we are on the road to 60 years of independence, derelict housing will repurpose,” he said.

The programme is intended to provide shelter for those displaced by fire or disaster, office space for expanding government departments, and rental units, while also addressing the major concerns caused by abandoned structures, he explained.

He said: “On the road to 60, we need to do something about these houses because quite frankly, that’s unsightly, and it’s also a harbinger and a place where unfortunately, you have people that come in and they take up residences and they can cause issues. We know about that.”

The government has long been criticised for favouring new builds over renovating and upgrading existing structures.

Noting that some of the derelict properties concerned were government buildings, the minister said: “That makes it easy because if they’re government buildings and we have the title, then we certainly can do something about it. We don’t have to go through much of a legal or regulatory framework to be able to get these going, this low-hanging fruit.”

Last December, the then housing minister, Dwight Sutherland, announced that the government was fast-tracking plans to transform derelict buildings and vacant lots into new housing schemes in the new year.

At that time, he revealed that there were more than 25 000 derelict buildings and vacant lots island-wide and said a new state-run enterprise would be established to spearhead the transformation. The initiative, he stressed, would be a “game changer” in the housing sector, particularly given that over 18 000 applications were before the National Housing Corporation.

He confirmed that both public and private derelict properties would be included in the project, and noted that a $700 000 grant from the Inter-American Development Bank would be used to jump-start the programme.

Pressed then about delays, Sutherland said work should begin in 2025, adding that the project would commence in the urban corridor, working in tandem with planned community transformations in Mason Hall Street and Green Fields.

Gibbs, who succeeded Sutherland recently, said he has already raised the matter with his senior officials. “I’ve had conversations with the [Permanent Secretary] and the [Deputy Permanent Secretary] about this, and this is high on our agenda,” he said.

(SZB)