$507M infrastructure works open access for Poke Bridge land allottees

Persons who have been allocated residential lots in Phases Four and Five, Tract CH&PA (Poke Bridge), and Lethem in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) will soon have access to their lands as infrastructure works are almost completed.
On Tuesday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Sherwyn Greaves, visited the location and was briefed on the ongoing works.
The contractor, R Kissoon Contracting Services, is expected to wrap up works on the road network in Phase Five by the end of this week, while the road network in Phase Four has been completed.

Also, works are ongoing on the drainage networks, as culverts are being built. The laying of the pipe network for water supply will also commence soon.
Approximately 575 persons have been allocated lands at Tract CH&PA. CH&PA also rolled out the processing of Agreements of Sale for the initial 150 allottees of the Tract CH&PA Housing Scheme.
This process was a critical stage since it gave beneficiaries legal ownership of their land to later receive the Certificate of Title, which can be used to obtain financing from banks to construct their dream homes.
In May of this year, this $507 million contract was signed for the ongoing infrastructure works which when completed will see some 400 persons gaining access to their land. Already, some persons have started construction on their homes in some sections of the scheme.
At that time, Housing Minister Collin Croal had informed that the multi-million contract invested is the first phase of infrastructure works expected within two years. Moreover, a new well was to also be drilled in the scheme and electrical networks were to be installed.
To further boost homeownership in the region, 58 residents have also received steel and cement housing subsidy vouchers and the Lethem Housing Support Project will provide 600 residents with two-bedroom homes at a cost of $3 million, with the Government contributing $1 million for each home’s construction. These ongoing projects represent the Ministry’s investment of over $1 billion in Region Nine.
Last year, the Government embarked on the first 100 homes under the Lethem Housing Support Programme. The CH&PA was required to construct a $3 million low-income home and provide $1 million in support to each beneficiary for the building cost.
The Housing Ministry then partnered with the New Building Society, Republic Bank Guyana Ltd, and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, to offer loans to the tune of $2 million, at a rate of 3.5 per cent to the prospective homeowners.
The programme was aimed at promoting occupancy in housing schemes, having observed that close to 300 empty allocated lots existed in nearby schemes such as Tabatinga and Culvert City.