200 low-income houses being built on WCD

Construction has commenced on the first 200 of 500 low-income houses on the West Coast of Demerara. Twenty-four of the houses have since been completed in Leonora and some were already handed over to the owners.

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal made the revelation on Thursday during a visit to several areas on the West Coast of Demerara to inspect ongoing works.

The houses are being built under an agreement which was signed between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and Republic Bank at this year’s Building Expo.

The agreement, Croal said, has since been broaden with other banks coming on board. The two-bedroom flat units are being built at a cost of $5.5 million each by local contractors and three developers.

“This is what we have been doing in every region in addition to our infrastructural works to address allocation exercise…to quickly help in terms of homeownership,” Croal said.

According to Croal, some 24 contractors were employed to build the houses.

“They are doing small amounts but these are small contractors that want to be a part of our housing programme and this is what we encourage so that we can have the scale,” he said.

Like other parts of the country, major development is ongoing in Region Three and Croal said the ministry will construct more houses in Leonora as well as other areas in the region.

In fact, he said the Leonora/Groenveldt area has been expanded for both allocation of house lots, as well as, construction of houses.

The ministry also signed an agreement with a company from Nicaragua which will be setting up a construction factory here. The company is among three developers approved by the ministry to build low-income houses in the country.

“They are actually three developers we have approved to contract similar type of low-income sizes houses which would provide an opportunity for persons to have an appreciate, as well as choices, in the type of low income houses to be construction,” Croal said.