One-of-a-kind sustainable community, urban eco-lodge coming

As the government continues to invest heavily in housing and development, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced that a sustainable community housing programme and the country’s first eco-lodge centre will be established by the end of the year.

The President made the announcement as he inspected ongoing road works along the East Bank of Demerara, immediately after he returned from Brussels, Belgium.

According to Dr Ali, the sustainable community housing programme will be established on 20 acres of land along the East Bank corridor. The project is expected to start before the end of 2023, he said.

At the centre of the ‘community’, he said there will be a state-of-the-art greenhouse with solar panels. This plot of land, President Ali said will be occupied by low-income homeowners.

“Young low-income homeowners are going to live within that plot. They are going to do high-value crops. They are going to sell the crops that will repay loans, we are going to put solar panels at the top of it; that is going to help them with their power during the day. So this is a new approach and this is the area that I find tremendous joy in – urban and regional planning. So, this is a new design that we are coming up with,” President Ali explained.

Meanwhile, works have already commenced on the eco-lodge centre, which is being built aback Diamond, EBD.

President Ali said this project is expected to be completed by September 2023, in time for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

“…I launched this programme with a hundred women…Where you have 30 eco-lodges and we are hoping to have it completed by September 10,” he noted.

The projects, according to President Ali, are part of the government’s ‘new’ approach and  in support of urban and regional planning.