25,000 house lot applications still being processed by CH&PA

With some 25,000 applications still piled up at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) office, the agency’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul had said at least 5000 solutions are required annually for the next five years to reduce the backlog.
While this may be the case, the CEO told the media that just about 3000 housing solutions were made over the past two years, in the form of houses and house lots.
Saul was at the time speaking to the media at the sidelines of an event on Friday.
According to him, the agency plans to develop a number of areas soon to tackle the backlog; however, undertaking the project to develop the lands will be costly.
“We have in excess of 25,000 active applications in the system. We are currently working to reduce the backlog. We will be developing several areas over the next two years or so but this would not significantly reduce the numbers. For us to make a significant impact on that number, we need to make available an average of four to 5000 solutions yearly over the next five years,” the CEO explained.
He pointed out that its costs at least $4 million to have one house lot developed, which would require a vast sum being allotted for this purpose only.
Given that the number of applications would have mounted to the huge figure, Saul explained that while it will be important to distribute house lots based on the date of the application, consideration will also be given to those in “dire need”.
Under the previous Administration, over 100,000 house lots were distributed and over 200 core houses were made available to under-privileged families, while a programme for professional groups provided 200 teachers, nurses and Policemen with fast track access to loans for home construction.
Under the present Administration, the first Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme was launched in January this year.
The project was a collaboration between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The first housing project comprises of a four hundred square-foot flat concrete building at a cost of $4 million, but requires approved applicants to make a down payment of $100,000 towards the construction. Meanwhile, the Home Improving Subsidy provides a grant of $500,000 in materials.
The project will be in four districts; areas in Georgetown; Industry to La Bonne Intention on the East Coast Demerara, Eccles to Diamond/Grove on the East Bank Demerara and La Parfaite Harmonie in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).