Govt gears for massive housing project for State employees

…currently seeking private partners to develop lands

The Government of Guyana, through the Communities Ministry, is gearing to develop several hundred acres of land for housing, including the building of homes and apartment buildings for State employees.

The slated developmental works are scheduled to be undertaken through a Public Private Partnership arrangement.

According to an advertisement in the State-owned newspaper, the Government will be embarking on several projects emanating from its strategic objectives as it relates to housing for low-income and State employees.

The development is slated to be undertaken along the East Bank of Demerara, the East Coast of Demerara and Georgetown.

As such, expressions of interest are currently being invited.

The project is expected to be undertaken in three phases – Phase one will entail the executing of infrastructural works, including land preparation, the construction of roads, drains, heavy duty bridges and the installation of a water distribution network.

The second phase, according to the Ministry’s invite, will be the construction of apartment buildings and single flat houses. The final phase will be the construction of social infrastructure, such as recreational facilities, commercial facilities, educational and health facilities.

The areas identified comprise of underdeveloped lands at Little and Great Diamond, Cummings Lodge and La Penitence. Some 150 acres of land has been identified for development in Diamond, which are said to have been lands previously used for sugarcane cultivation.

Lands identified in Cummings Lodge total 99.31 acres, while another 2.3 acres have been identified in La Penitence.

According to the invite, the Communities Ministry reserves the right to accept or reject any or all expressions of interest submitted without assigning any reason.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was established in 1948 through the Housing Act, to address the housing needs of the citizens of Guyana.

The Agency, which is under the purview of the Communities Ministry, has among its primary objectives, the divestment of Government land to eligible Guyanese for residential use; development of housing schemes and regularisation and upgrade of squatter settlements.

The move by Government comes even as it attempts to expedite the processing of applications for house lots.

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, is on record saying that over the next five years, Government intends to build approximately 4000 houses in cohesive communities to benefit more than 4000 families and approximately 16,000 persons.