House-lot prices to be reduced; some may cost below $100k – Housing Authority CEO
Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Sherwyn Greaves has assured that the cost for houselots will be reduced.
He told the News Room in an invited comment that Guyanese may soon be paying less than $100,000 for some categories of low income lots.
This, he said, is in keeping with the government’s promise to make the cost for acquiring a house lot affordable.
Greaves reminded that President Irfaan Ali, who is a former Minister of Housing himself, has made a promise to make house lots as cheap as possible.
“I don’t want to give cost here but it will be very affordable,” he said while meeting with squatters in Chateau Margot on the East Coast of Demerara on Thursday.
That affordability, he said, will definitely see a reduction in the prices currently being made for a house lots.
Guyanese, in some cases, were made to pay millions for house lots from the Ministry of Housing while others have had to foot bills of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Meanwhile, Greaves said the Housing Authority is currently preparing 22 different areas for house lots all across Guyana.
“These are lands that CH&PA had and it’s unfortunate that the previous administration didn’t see it fit to do works on those lands but we are going to do work; and these are lands that stretch all along the East Coast, East Bank, Berbice, West Coast, West Bank, Essequibo and Linden. All those areas, lots will be created and we also will build units; 22,000 units we will be building,” he added.
He said monies were set aside in the 2020 emergency budget for these land preparation activities which have commenced one week after the budget was passed.
Greaves has given assurances that the land preparation will be completed shortly allowing for the necessary infrastructure to be put in.
“…and every one will be satisfied,” he said while explaining that proper access roads will be built and electricity and water will be installed before the lands are allocated.
“We will not issue house lots without those things being put in pace.”