─ Sunset Lake among large unused land owners taken to court
In an effort to provide more Guyanese with affordable homes, Government, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) of the Communities Ministry, is continuing with its housing drive, constructing several houses at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara; Onderneeming, West Bank Demerara; Hope-Experiment, West Berbice; and Amelia’s Ward, Linden.
Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Lelon Saul
Chief Executive Officer of CH&PA, Lelon Saul, has disclosed that, before year-end, the authority hopes to engage private developers with the intention of building more homes in the areas identified.
While he could not immediately state how much of the authority’s budget has already been spent on construction of these houses, he did say the money would all be spent before the end of the financial year.
“What I can assure you (is that) the (sums of money) that are allocated for the actual construction, we anticipate (that) by the end of the year most of it will be spent or committed,” Saul said, while explaining that the contract for the construction of 40 duplexes at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara was due to be opened on Monday at the CH&PA’s Tender Board.
Government has committed to forge ahead with its programme of establishing cohesive communities in which serviced lots; other social infrastructure and amenities, including green spaces, parks and recreational facilities, are provided to ensure an improved quality of life.
In 2016, Minister Valerie Adams Patterson, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility for Housing, had said that infrastructure works in existing housing schemes, including the installation of electricity and provision of potable water, will continue.
The Government had announced that, as part of expanding Guyana’s housing drive — which actually started under the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration — more focus will be placed on ensuring that young people acquire their own homes.
Large unused land
CEO of the CH&PA, Lelon Saul, has said the authority has moved to take the owners of large unused properties to court, including a company closely linked to Bai Shan Lin – Sunset Lake.
Saul has said that for the most part, the terms and conditions of the agreement of sale between these property owners and the CH&PA were not being adhered to, and legal action has been filed against Sunset Lakes, whose directors have since changed hands. Saul notes that it is now up to the court to make the decisions.
“The principals have changed because they sold the company. The fact is there are new directors of the company, and it is the company that we are pursuing,” he stated.
While the CEO did not completely rule out Government regaining those lands, he did point out that the judicial system is “slothful” and the matter may take some time.
The Chinese Development Bank had earlier this year asked Guyana not to dispose of lands once held by Bai Shan Lin Forest Developers Inc, since it is looking to secure finance to recapitise loans owned by that company.
Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman told the Parliament in April that there are no activities ongoing on the two concessions formerly belonging to Bai Shan Lin Forest Developers — which total 180,000 hectares — since the agreements were not renewed after their expiry last year.
The total size of the concessions, including joint ventures, is 680,000 hectares.
It has also been reported that the five joint ventures that Bai Shan Lin had ‘illegally’ entered into with local companies were revoked and the lands seized.
