Minister Croal inspects progress of new housing developments in Region Two

−says allottees will start accessing lots by April

Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal recently conducted inspections of new housing developments in Region Two, including Onderneeming Phase Four, Buxton, and St Joseph, and Charity on the Essequibo Coast at the weekend.  

Minister Croal expressed satisfaction with the progress of the works being done at Onderneeming Phase Four, where 500 house lots have been allocated with a total investment of over $450 million.

During the visit, the minister highlighted several aspects of the development, including land clearance, the construction of a road network, and the installation of concrete drains.

“This is purely sand and so to ensure we don’t have sliding and so forth, we had to put in concrete drains. So, we had to expend additional resources in order to develop this area,” Minister Croal explained.

He added that the installation of the water distribution network is ongoing, and allottees will be able to access water by the end of this month.

The development and design of the housing project includes provisions for future expansion and the establishment of public spaces such as schools, a police outpost, and recreational spaces, Minister Croal disclosed.

Similar works are being carried out in Buxton and St. Joseph in Charity, where an additional 500 lots have been allocated to individuals.  A total of $680 million has been invested in infrastructure works in those areas. The works are divided into four lots.

Minister Croal noted that these areas are prone to flooding, and therefore, a lot of desilting work has been carried out to mitigate this issue.

“The infrastructure works in the initial first phase will be completed in another week or two which will include the pipe works and following that we will be showing persons where their lots are.”

According to the housing minister, based on the progress of the housing schemes, allottees will be able to identify their lots starting from next month.

This year, the government allocated $54 billion to the housing sector, with the majority of the funds earmarked for major infrastructure works in new and existing housing schemes across the country.

In addition to Onderneeming, Buxton, and St Joseph housing schemes, infrastructure works will be conducted in the Charity squatting area with the aim of regularising a number of lots.