New housing solution gets going in St Philip

The National Housing Corporation (NHC) is embarking on yet another housing project specifically targeting low and middle-income earners.

The new project located in Rices, St Philip, will see 10 two and three-bedroom houses being built. They are to be sold between $209,000 and $220,000.

This morning during a groundbreaking ceremony, Minister of Housing, Lands, and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid, explained that the housing project was similar to the one at Todds, St John, which was started about 10 months ago.

He said 80 per cent of the 15 houses at Todds were now complete and the handover process would be done shortly.

“Once that project was essentially complete we decided to move to our second location here at Rices. We are about to embark on building another 10 houses together with another four at Applewaithe’s, so that will be another 14 houses.

“I’ve been told by the contractors that they can get them completed in six months.

They said the reason for the setbacks with the previous location was because of COVID and the lockdowns so I will hold them to their word and ask them to complete these next 10 houses within six months,” Dr. Duguid said.

“So those continue the NHC’s programme to be able to provide low and middle-income houses for as many people as possible…”

He pointed out that while Government offered land-only packages, it was agreed that a land and house package would be a better fit for the area.

Dr Duguid said very often people purchased land but did not build on it leading to open unkempt lots.

Member of Parliament for the constituency Indar Weir, who broke ground to start the project, expressed his delight at the new housing project.

He said he had been inundated with requests for housing solutions from persons in the constituency.

“This is a constituency with close to 12,000 constituents a lot of whom are from the working-class communities who are desirous of getting their own housing solutions and feeling that sense of independence and ownership that all Barbadians aspire to,” Weir said.

“I am pleased to note that my constituents will have an opportunity now to own a piece of the rock and form part of that ownership structure that all Barbadians aspire to, whether it be housing whether it be business.”

Weir, however, said he realized there were no street lights in the area and asked for some to be installed.

General Manager of the NHC, Ian Gill said it was the policy of Government to provide land and houses for as many people as possible.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)