2013 - A year that stimulated further housing developments
The year 2013 has been another very busy one for the Housing Ministry and its executing arm, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), as they led the government’s grand strategy of providing housing, especially for low income Guyanese, and other categories.
Obviously, the demand is still great as measured by the number of One Stop Shops held, and the quantum of lots allotted at each of these strategic engagements. Thus, with a budgetary allocation of $3.1B, the stage was again set for one of the critical needs, that is central to any human being’s daily life – acquisition of a shelter.
Several new initiatives were announced and implemented in keeping with the visionary plan of making affordable housing available to Guyanese, even as there was continued focus on the distribution of lots, the development of new sustainable housing schemes, increased provision of turn-key housing, and expansion of core houses concept.
Planting a banner to the 1000 homes project
New Initiatives
Beginning with the key initiative introduced in 2013 to boost home ownership, this intervention, a significant tax relief will cost the government $580M annually, and will benefit tens of thousands of first time owners. Named the Mortgage Income Relief (MIR), it allows for first time homeowners who have been granted mortgages up to $30M by commercial banks or building societies, mortgage interest relief. This measure has since been signed into law, thereby establishing the regulatory foundation for this process.
The hinterland segment of the national housing drive received a tremendous boost as a result of a collaborative effort between the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank to address housing needs in the hinterland. Under the second Low Income Settlement (LIS-2) Programme, roof replacements will be done for 86 houses, while 122 new homes will be built.
Twenty-three households in White Water, Region One received keys to their new homes on October 31, while 27 others had their roofs refurbished. On November 1, the beneficiaries in Region Nine communities which include Kwatamang, Central Annai, Massara, Katoka and Apoteri received their keys to their homes. Beneficiaries in Manawarin, Region One, received theirs earlier in the year.
The latest move in the turnkey concept also saw the Perseverance Scheme on the East Bank Demerara earmarked for the development of 1,000 homes valued $4.7M each.
White Water, Region One residents with the keys
to their new homes
Continued dynamism of One Stop Shop
The Ministry’s 2013 work programme had projected the allocation of over 6,000 house lots, and distribution of over 4,000 land titles. In this regard, the innovative mechanism of the One Stop Shop system was employed at 10 different locations across the country for the fulfillment of this goal.
A total of 8,500 lots were allocated and 7,000 titles distributed during 2013.
Among the locales visited by this unique process were Farm on the East Bank Demerara, where 1600 lots were allocated;1200 for Lust-en-Rust, Region Three;775 at Kilcoy/Chesney, Region Six; 85 lots for Zeelugt Phase 2; 840 lots for Zeelugt Phase; and 360 at Onderneeming, on the Essequibo Coast.
Since its introduction in 2009, there have been 53 One Stop Shops, and Government has been subsidising these house lot allocations by more than 40%.
In November, the Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali had indicated that the Ministry’s staff had completed all the 2013 proposed programmes, among which were construction of over 200 core homes, 50 turnkey homes, and the distribution of 200 home improvement subsidies for families on the coastland and 125 hinterland families.
Also completed were 200 community roads under the US $18.7M Community Road Improvement Project (CRIP).
Houselot recipients at a One Stop Shop at the Guyana
National Stadium
East Bank Corridor
The East Bank corridor, now a transformed geographical area of astounding modernity, has continued to attract exponential sums for its continued socio-economic development. For 2013, a grand total of $5.8B was invested on its continued development. This catered for investments at Providence Phase 3, where the sum of $731M was expended for the creation of 558 new lots; at Farm, where $1.4B was invested for 1695 lots; Plantation Perseverance, where for 200 lots, $90M was spent; and at Plantation Eccles, $40M was utilised for 70 lots.
Also included, was $680M spent on the Farm to Diamond Access Road, $450M on the construction of 120 single flat homes at Providence; $154M that has resulted in levels of upgrade to roads at Great Diamond and Golden Grove, benefitting 1000 lots in these schemes; and $544M spent to upgrade to asphaltic surface, the Cacique and Greenfield Park Entrances.
It must be emphasised that from 2000 to 2012, investments on the East Bank by the CH&PA have totalled $17B. This huge sum has created 13,000 new lots in areas including Great Diamond, Golden Grove, Little Diamond, Mocha, Eccles, Herstelling and Kaneville, benefitting more than 54,000 people.
Newly done Mocha Arcadia road
Collaboration with private sector
Several successful partnerships with the private sector were fostered yet again towards the provision of reasonably priced home homeownership. Included in this initiative were: discussions with Courts Furniture Store to have a special line of furniture made for low and middle income homeowners; an MOU signed with Harris Paints, Guyana Limited to allow low and low-middle income earners, staff of the Ministry, and contractors who are working on the ‘turn-key’ houses, to benefit from a price discount of seven percent on paints.
A section of turnkey homes on the East Bank Demerara
Building Expo
With the successful take-off of the housing sector, the Ministry of Housing initiated the Building and Construction Expo with the aim of responding to the housing and building needs of Guyanese, and to foster home ownership.
The fourth such event in 2013 highlighted the theme “Consolidating partnerships for sustainable development” and attracted over 80 booths. It was this venue at which SILICA city, the new housing venture earmarked for the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, was unveiled. The ministry proposed the latter, new housing development as a viable solution to the country’s housing needs, taking into consideration environmental consequences, and technological changes, inclusive of rising sea levels and the availability of land.
Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister
Samuel Hinds at the 4th Building Expo
Praises
In September, whilst on a visit to Guyana, and after being taken on tour of a few of Guyana’s housing schemes, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said that the Government’s housing programme was extraordinary, describing it as unlike any other in the Caribbean, including that of St. Vincent and the Grenadines which is reputed to be the best.
2014 and onwards
With great vision, Government’s housing programme will continue, where all Guyanese will be given a fair chance to fulfill one of life’s greatest achievements: To own a home.
The Ministry is targeting in 2014, the construction of 500 turn-key homes and the execution of the design for Silica City.
The Ministry of Housing and Water will advertise and provide sustained employment for masons, skilled men, carpenters, and labourers to work with the ministry on the construction of the different types of homes that are made available under the ministry’s programmes.
It will complete a few new schemes including Zeeburg and the expansion of Zeelugt in Region Three, the continued expansion of the East Bank corridor to bring about another 3000 lots, completing the new highway into Parfait Harmonie that would realise a new access almost to the Demerara Harbour Bridge, completing the asphaltic concrete paving of four collectors’ roads between Eccles to Little Diamond, and will work on some main arteries into Sophia.
Focus will also be on working with the Ministry of Finance to find resources to expand the hinterland housing programme.
