Addressing the backlog of house lots

– CH&PA collaborating to acquiring lands from NICIL and GLSC

– Applicants prior to 2015 will get preference

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is working to clear the backlog of house lot applicantions. CEO of the Agency, Lelon Saul revealed that steps are being taken to ensure those who have applied for house lots receive their share.

Saul said this will be done through collaboration with Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) and the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Ltd. (N.I.C.I.L).  He made these disclosures during an interview with the Department of Public Information’s (DPI) programme ‘One on One’.

The CEO noted that currently there are over 25,000 active applications. However, from the GLSC, lands will be developed in Bartica, Amelia’s Ward, Wisroc and Kwakwani. As it relates to NICIL, lands will be developed in Meten Meer-Zorg, LBI, Vigilance, Mon Repos, Experiment and Ordnance-Fortlands.

Saul said persons who have applied before to 2015 will be prioritised. “So, if you have an application in our system prior to 2015, we hope to satisfy your request and of course it will be done in chronological order,” he noted.

The Housing Authority is also being proactive. Saul explained when the lands are developed, areas will be identified for manufacturing and business activities. “In the housing areas, there will also be areas identified for industrial and commercial activities. We want to create communities that can sustain themselves and therefore we believe that commercial and industrial activity will play a major role in the employment of citizens within those communities,” he underscored.

The CEO is also urging persons to appreciate that “if you are the owner of a property, you should not seek to apply for a house lot through CH&PA because we are concerned with satisfying the needs of the ordinary man.”

He explained that it is difficult for the CH&PA to determine those who have house lots outside of the CH&PA system. However, Saul said steps are being taken detect owners of properties which requires collaboration between the Deeds Registry, the Lands Registry and the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission.

This will allow the CH&PA to effectively serve those who require house lots. “we want to deter persons from doing that so we can concentrate on those who really are in need,” he stated.

Once persons are found to own lands prior to CH&PA allocating them a lot, it will be repossessed. Making it crystal clear, Saul said, a condition of land allocation is that “you should not be the owner of any property” when applying to CH&PA.