Trinidadian developer eyes public housing partnership with Barbados

By Emmanuel Joseph

In a bid to provide “smart affordable” housing solutions for Barbadians, East Coast Housing Development Limited (ECHDL), a prominent housing developer based in Trinidad is considering a collaboration with the Mia Mottley administration. 

Bryan Singh, the executive chairman of ECHDL, said his firm intends to engage in discussions with the government about a potential public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

He expressed his belief in the business potential in Barbados, stating, “Barbados is ripe for business, and I feel there is an opportunity…. We are willing to partner with them. We have tested the waters directly and indirectly, and we are hoping we can approach them again and see how best we can partner together in making it a dream come true for the people of Barbados.” 

He shared these insights during an interview with Barbados TODAY from St Kitts where his company recently secured a significant EC$600 million contract to build and finance 2 400 affordable smart homes for the state-owned National Housing Corporation (NHC) in Basseterre.

Singh emphasised that their focus was not merely on building houses but on creating communities, saying: “At the end of the day, people not just looking for houses, they are looking for houses that they can turn into homes, and quality homes, and that is what we are all about.”

The housing developer said he planned to approach the Barbados government again in the near future. 

“When we are handing over our first two model homes [in St Kitts and Nevis] we want to invite all of the housing ministers of the region to come and witness it taking place in St Kitts – the beginning of the housing revolution,” he said.

Singh also referred to the CARICOM integration movement as a model for regional collaboration, emphasising the need for governments to be proactive and inclusive in leveraging each other’s skills and expertise. 

He said: “We need to take the bull by the horn and not the back feet.

Working together and ensuring that not just be a talk shop, we want it to be real. And the only way it could be real is if we have full participation of all concerned. Many times, governments of the region make decisions as the representative of the people, but sometimes it doesn’t trickle down.” 

Singh urged governments to move beyond rhetoric and embrace inclusion, asserting that it would strengthen the Caribbean movement.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb