Guyana’s housing demand has grown exponentially over the past two years and according to subject minister Collin Croal, housing schemes at Cummings Lodge in Georgetown and Providence, East Bank Demerara, are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
And the government, according to Croal, has already identified new areas along the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara and other parts of the country to meet the demand.
Providing an update to the News Room at the sidelines of an event on Tuesday, the Housing Minister reported that for the Providence Housing Scheme, where 200 young professional houses are being constructed, “every single home” has been allocated.
“And this is an area that everybody is asking for, the young professional homes there but all of those houses were allotted and the construction there is about 65 per cent complete,” he stated.
Over at Perseverance, also on the East Bank, the minister noted that the young professional houses are about 50 per cent complete.
With the Cummings Lodge Housing scheme, Minister Croal said that around 70 per cent of the housing units there have been allocated with only minor construction left to be completed.
And with areas like Amelia’s Ward and Great Diamond, land preparation is still ongoing before construction begins but the minister said that by the third quarter of 2022, work will commence.
“That is part of our work programme and we will have a mix of both young professional homes as well as moderated and middle income units there [and] then we have over in Region Six at Williamsburg, you are aware of the works ongoing and you have now have Fort Ordinance coming on stream with similar type houses being built there,” he continued.
In the coming weeks, there will be tenders out for companies to prepare new lands for new housing schemes.
“You will recognise that the demand for housing keeps growing so we have been opening new lands which is part of the advantage when you open new roads, so as our infrastructure grows, that need will grow so we need lands…” he noted.
Already the government issued an Expression Of Interest (EOI) seeking private developers to help with the augmentation of its massive housing programme.
According to the EOI, the areas are undeveloped lands with an adequate residential mix and it can be easily integrated into existing communities.
The government is seeking individual developers, companies or consortiums and if they are selected, construction is expected within six months and completed within two years.
And those developers must achieve the quality of development, construction and management of the project within the given time. EOIs are to be sent to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) by March 25.
Since the government took office in August 2020, a total of 10,063 house lots were allocated to persons while 1,266 land titles and transports were distributed in 2021 with plans to target 6,000 applicants in 2022.
