CH&PA to digitally map house lots from Nov 1 to prevent construction mix-ups

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) will introduce a geo-referencing system for house lot identification nationwide from November 1 allowing precise coordinates and photographic evidence to be recorded for each parcel shown to an allottee.
Housing Minister Collin Croal announced the new system while in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) explaining that it is intended to improve the accuracy and accountability of the lot identification process and reduce instances of persons mistakenly occupying or constructing on land not allocated to them.
Under the new arrangement, CH&PA surveyors will use geo-referencing technology and tablets to record the precise coordinates and reference points of residential lots during identification exercises. The information will create a digital record of the location and boundaries of each parcel shown to an allottee.

In a release on Friday, it was stated that photographs will also be taken during the exercise to establish that the allottee was physically present and was shown the designated lot. Allottees will be required to digitally sign an acknowledgement confirming that they were shown their respective lots and that the relevant coordinates were recorded. According to Croal, allottees will also be able to request copies of their lot coordinates for future reference.
“This is being introduced to safeguard the allottee as well as the agency,” Croal said, noting that the system will provide an additional layer of verification for both CH&PA and beneficiaries.

Verify location & boundaries
The announcement comes days after CH&PA urged beneficiaries to verify the location and boundaries of their lots before beginning construction, following a case at Plantation Le Ressouvenir Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), in which an allottee constructed on a commercial parcel that was not allocated to her.
CH&PA had said the individual was allocated residential lot Parcel 394 but constructed on Parcel 460, a commercial lot. The agency rejected claims that its surveyors had misdirected the allottee, stating that Parcel 460 was never identified, assigned or allocated to her.
A Notice of Contravention was issued on September 18, giving the allottee one month to relocate to her allocated lot and demolish the unauthorised structure. The allottee’s subsequent request to acquire the commercial parcel was denied.
The October 15 statement from CH&PA stressed that beneficiaries must confirm the precise location and boundaries of their allocated lots with the agency’s surveyors before construction.
Croal is now reinforcing that position through the new digital identification system.
He said allottees must ensure they are shown all four boundary markers, commonly referred to as paals, before accepting identification of their lots. He cautioned beneficiaries against relying solely on layout plans or assumptions when determining the location of their properties.
The Minister also reminded allottees that while CH&PA is responsible for accurately identifying their lots, beneficiaries have a responsibility to monitor and maintain their boundary markers after the identification exercise, particularly if construction is not scheduled to begin immediately.
The new system is currently being tested, with Croal reporting that progress has been satisfactory. It is expected to become standard practice for all CH&PA lot identification exercises across the country.