After years of occupation: Undocumented Success, ECD homeowners begin land ownership process

Undocumented homeowners of Success, East Coast Demerara (ECD), have officially begun the process of obtaining ownership documents for the lands they have been occupying for years. The Community Development Department of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Friday facilitated the process for families as they received their allocation letters and commenced payments for their lots – a key step toward full ownership. This follows an engagement on September 30, 2025, where Housing Minister Collin Croal met with residents occupying a Government reserve in the area to discuss longstanding land regularisation matters. He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to resolving the issue, noting that while the process requires patience and coordination, tangible progress is being made. The regularisation process in Success commenced in 2021 when CH&PA conducted detailed inventory, block, and occupation surveys.

The final survey plan was later submitted to the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC), and a block title was obtained. Verification exercises identified 51 lots within the area, of which 43 structures were inventoried and assigned identification numbers (SRD 1 to SRD 43). The CH&PA’s Community Development Department further verified occupancy and updated the layout to include footpaths.