Housing gets additional $2B for infrastructure
-new and existing housing areas to benefit
—across several regions
The Ministry of Housing now has some $2 billion in supplementary funding, which was approved during Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
These funds are to be used for additional infrastructure works in new and existing housing areas in Region Three, Four, Five, Six, Nine and Ten.
Minister Hon. Collin Croal, said the sums will be used to remedy issues inherited from the previous administration.
“When we took over this August – having assessed what is happening at the office – we took over an office whereby we found allocations were made even this year, for areas that CH&PA did not own and for areas you can’t necessarily identify where those allottees can go and construct and there was non-existence of infrastructure. Hence, we derived a budget of $1.7 billion.”
Minister Croal said the lack of infrastructure was a major deterrent that led to the Coalition Government’s failure to register 100 per cent occupancy in housing areas.
The former Government had only made 7,534 allocations over five years, including 1,987 between the January-August, 2020 period.
With a mandate to revitalise the housing sector and meet the PPP/C manifesto goal of providing 50,000 house lots over five years, the Minister said the additional funds would benefit the people despite a backlog of 70,000 applications.
“This $2 billion additional, it is part of our expansive drive to respond in a speedy manner to the heavy demand that is out there [and that was] not satisfied adequately within the last period.”
The works have so far been tendered and are at two levels for the awarding of contracts; at the level of the CH&PA Board for works valued up to $20 million, and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board for works above the $20 million ceiling.
Below is a list of areas slated for major housing development:
| Region | New Housing Area | Existing Housing Area |
| Three | Anna Catherina Meten-Meer-Zorg Stewartville | Zeelugt Uitvlugt Parfaite Harmonie |
| Four | Little Diamond Great Diamond Annandale Mon Repos Providence Cummings Lodge 1768 Cummings Lodge 1767 Prospect La Bonne Intention Vigilance Bladen Hall | Farm (Phase One) Farm (Phase Two) Covent Garden Prospect Providence Perseverance Peters Hall Herstelling Good Hope Mon Repos Hope (South) Hope Estate |
| Five | Experiment | Hope Experiment (Block ‘D’) |
| Six | Number 79 Number 75 Ordinance Fortlands Williamsburg, Hampshire | Fortlands Kilcoy Chesney |
| Nine | Tabatinga | |
| Ten | Amelias Ward |