With increased investments, hinterland housing to take on greater role in 2023

Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal says the government intends to invest more heavily in new housing schemes, house lot allocations and home construction across Guyana’s hinterland in 2023.

This will see a shift in the government’s housing focus, currently concentrated across the coastland.

Admittingly, Croal said the government “by and large, has not invested a lot yet” in its hinterland housing programme.

Currently works are ongoing to ensure allocations in a newly developed housing scheme in Region Nine with a recent announcement by President Irfaan Ali that some 600 houses will be built at a cost of $3 million each.

Similarly, a new housing scheme is being developed in Bartica, Region Seven.

“Outside of Region Nine (Lethem) and Bartica, we have not done a lot,” Croal said.

“It will take on a greater role in 2023. We are starting now but in 2023 the full impact of the programme will be felt across the board,” he added.

The Housing Minister explained that the government had placed initial priority on ensuring it addressed housing needs in coastal areas.

Beyond this, Croal said the government was looking at a distinct hinterland housing program which will commence soon to ensure equity in the government’s housing efforts.

The Ministry of Housing and Water has also identified some 300 empty lots in Lethem and surrounding areas in Region Nine which were long allocated but remain without any structures.

The owners of those lots have been presented with the opportunity buy into the $3 million houses to be built as the government seeks to fast-track and encourage people towards home building.

The New Building Society (NBS) and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) have each already committed to pre-approving 300 persons. Through the program, the government will give $1 million to each approved person and the banks will fund the remaining $2 million in a process to be managed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority.

The houses will be constructed in a similar manner to the housing programmes on the coast where contractors will build specifically to the design.

The government has also committed to purchasing clay blocks from within the region to ensure there is support to the village economy even as contractors will be drawn from the region and are encouraged to utilise labour from nearby communities.

Housing officials will be visiting Bartica, Region Seven on October 04, 2022 to follow up on promised home construction there.

An area has already been identified close to the existing housing scheme at Four Miles.

“When we go there it will be a similar exercise where we take the banks to start the registration and possibly of pre-approval and then we move to the contracting stage,” Croal said.

Meanwhile, in other hinterland communities, there are plans to construct houses in a system that always redound to the benefit of the local economy.

“We have a number of communities identified,” Croal said even as he assured of relocation of persons living in riverain areas prone to flooding.