Govt developing over 1700 acres of land along EBD corridor for housing drive

– massive infrastructural works underway

Infrastructural works are ongoing in several schemes along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to accommodate more than 5000 low, moderate and middle-income residential house lots and industrial/commercial lots, spanning some 1700 acres of land.
The works being undertaken amount to some $19 billion and include access roads, bridges, culverts, water distribution systems and drainage networks. Upon completion, the allottees will be able to access their lands.
On Tuesday, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal and Deputy Director of Projects at the Central Housing and Planning Authority Intakab Indarjeet inspected the projects.
The team first visited Block 1 Great Diamond, where over 1100 house lots have been allocated. Croal emphasised the strategic location of this area, as it is in close proximity to the Eccles to Great Diamond Highway, which upon completion will provide easier navigation between the EBD and Georgetown.
In addition, for Block 7 Great Diamond (approximately 750 house lots) and Block 11 Golden Grove (approximately 650 house lots), which are situated adjacently, Croal added that the future alignment for the Ogle bypass road will be nearby.
At Block 13 Golden Grove, he pointed out that persons who were allocated to Block 18 Golden Grove will now be occupying this area.
He explained that the low-lying land at Block 18 posed several challenges, resulting in the delay of infrastructural works. Works at Block 13 are currently progressing, and allottees will soon be able to access the land to construct their homes, while Block 18 is now repurposed into an industrial zone.
“When we’ve examined the two lands, we think this is a better land. This is much more suitable for the residents for that allocation, and what we’ve done is redesigned the other block for industrial/commercial purposes because the land is slightly low.”

He further stated that blocks are expected to be renamed. Flooding in some of these areas, he noted, poses some challenges.
Meanwhile, Indarjeet elaborated that the completion of works is anticipated to effectively address and mitigate flooding concerns in these areas.
Works are also being executed at Block 15 and 17 Golden Grove. Minister Croal conveyed that in Region Four, land allocations along the EBD corridor are currently exhausted and more focus will be placed on allocations in the East Coast Demerara schemes.
Minister Croal reiterated that the extensive scale of ongoing works throughout the country amounts to some $64 billion, including the construction of major highways.