National Planning Forum to be held to enhance housing development

GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, December 06, 2016

A National Planning Forum will be held during the first quarter of 2017 with major stakeholders to initiate dialogue and action to enhance the current fragmented planning framework within the housing sector. This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams- Patterson.

Minister Adams -Patterson, who was at the time speaking in the National Assembly in support of Budget 2017, said that the measure is in keeping with the thrust to give prominence to planning, awareness and renewed interest at national, regional and local levels of the housing development.

Also, as mandated under the Town and Country Planning Act, the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CHPA) will initiate and support the preparation of development schemes in collaboration with the Local Development Organs (LDOs), and other key stakeholders to set out objectives and policies to guide the growth and development of communities.

She said that this process will give “clout to the enforcement aspect as the planning control activities. In this regard, the enforcement arm of the CHPA will be strengthened with the recruitment of additional enforcement officers to boost CHPA’s Planning function,” the Minister said.

Further, to achieve the long standing goals of expanding the supply of housing, improving affordability and ensuring access to housing and infrastructure to poor families in the context of the development of sustainable and cohesive communities, actionable policy recommendations will be realised through the development of a National Housing Strategy for Guyana, the Minister said.

 

 

By: Macalia Santos