Infrastructural works for 1000-house Berbice scheme 85% complete
Infrastructural work at Shieldstown New Housing Scheme, West Bank Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is about 85 percent completed and persons have already been allocated lots in the scheme which will house almost 1000 houses in addition to community facilities.
Region Five Chairman Vicram Ramphal speaking with one of the engineers about the infrastructure at Shieldstown New Housing Scheme
Within a few months, people will be able to start constructing their homes in the new Housing Scheme. This is according to Region Five Chairman Vickchand Ramphal.
Speaking with the media on Thursday about the project, he pointed out that the infrastructural work which includes the road and drainage network is about 85 percent completed.
Pipelines have already been laid in five of the six blocks of the scheme.
According to the chairman, the aim is to ensure that the entire infrastructure is in place before persons take up occupancy.
“And within a few months, the project should be fully completed whereby close to 1000 residents from Region Five will benefit and also there are persons from out of the region that will benefit from house lots here. The allocation process has already started. Lots were identified; persons were on the ground and have already demarcated their lots,” Ramphal explained.
The infrastructure includes the construction of culverts. The roads will have a crusher-run finish for now. Upgrades to a bituminous surface are also part of the programme.
According to the chairman, provisions have been made to have recreational and other community facilities within the housing scheme.
“It’s more inclusive because there is provision for a market, a bus terminal, schools and other amenities will be right,” the Chairman said during an invited site visit.
More than $2 billion is being expended to develop the Shieldstown Housing Scheme and already, 360 of the 999 allottees have been given access to their lands to start building. To date, a total of 713 house lots have been allocated in the scheme.
The regional chairman described the new housing scheme as being ‘vast’, explaining that it stretches from Shieldstown in the east to Cotton Tree in the west and extends to the border of Blairmont in the south. (G4)
