Government has revealed a comprehensive strategy aimed at further reducing the backlog of house lot applications within the database of the Ministry of Housing and Water.
Minister Rodrigues and her team during an inspection
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, has announced that 18 areas have already been earmarked for new housing developments. As she spoke at an outreach at the Linden Foundation Secondary School in Region Ten on Wednesday, she said, “In these 18 areas, it will yield over 24,000 lots, which means that everybody from the backlog up to 2019 will be addressed in our first term in office.”
As part of its manifesto, the PPP/C had promised to deliver 50,000 house lots by the end of its first term in office; and although over 30,000 house lots have been allocated so far, Minister Rodrigues highlighted, a backlog still exists. Region Five alone has 2,852 applications pending for residential house lots, and Region Four has about 38,000 applications pending.
“We have about 23,000 people from that period up to 2019, and we still have 20,000 allocations to make in our first term, in keeping with the promise that we made,” she clarified.
The minister highlighted a range of initiatives implemented to ensure persons have access to affordable housing opportunities, including investments in infrastructure, land acquisition for housing purposes, removal of taxes on construction materials, and provision of subsidies to assist individuals to commence construction of their homes. She is urging that persons take advantage of the initiatives implemented to aid in the construction of their homes.
Minister Rodrigues has also emphasised that individuals must adhere to the application process, and that allocation would be done within the framework of an “organized and sustainable” housing development strategy.
Addressing the issue of squatting, she highlighted that new squatting areas will not be recognised. “So, if you know of anyone who is even thinking about squatting, discourage them from doing it…It has too many challenges. It will delay the process even further. All of the people who have housing needs in this region and all the regions will be addressed,” Minister Rodrigues has reiterated.
Government has allocated $75 billion in its 2024 budget to continue the housing programme. Some 10,000 house lots are scheduled to be distributed this year.
