Much-needed road works in housing schemes among big plans for 2023

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Sherwyn Greaves believes 2022 has been an excellent year for the agency where challenges were confronted successfully.

Among the major achievements is the surpassing of the target set at the beginning of the year to ensure that 20, 000 house lots were allocated.

Greaves said the agency is proud to have been able to take thousands of new homeowners to their allocated lots so that they can start construction.

Beyond that, the CH&PA also moved hundreds of citizens into their new homes built through partnerships with the private sector.

“There are many more achievements but I don’t want to list them now,” the CEO said at a press conference on Wednesday where the agency also delivered on a promise to ensure that work commenced on a single window process for the application of planning and building permits.

In 2023, Greaves is promising much more.

He said attention will be given to addressing the complaints by residents of bad road networks in several existing housing schemes.

“We are going to be doing massive infrastructure works in existing housing schemes.

“By the end of April, that will no longer be a complaint,” Greaves said.

The CH&PA boss said significant work will commence on Silica City – a brainchild project of President Irfaan Ali – which was handed over to the agency for implementation.

With a design to ensure it is the most ideal smart city, Silica City is expected to be the economic hub of the Caribbean, located 35km from the capital, Georgetown, and situated on 16km2 of total area along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.

It promises to be pedestrian-centric, carbon-free, interconnected, sustainable, attractive and safe.

Hotels and hospitals are part of the government’s plan for the first phase of the long-anticipated.

As previously noted, the first phase is expected to feature a golf course and several elaborate houses.

Since 2013, the establishment of Silica City has been touted by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who was the Minister of Housing and Water then. It was highlighted that this city could be located near the Linden/Soesdyke Highway in Guyana’s hilly, sand and clay region.

Since his government was elected in 2020, President Ali and various Ministers of Government have talked up the establishment of this city.