About 500 house lots to be regularised this year

The Ministry of Housing and Water’s $100 billion budget was approved by the Parliamentary Committee of Supply late Wednesday night, allowing the ministry to continue its aggressive housing development programme across the country.

There was much scrutiny of the ministry’s funds on Wednesday night as the consideration of the budget estimates continued.

However, Housing Minister Collin Croal explained how the funds would be spent when quizzed about certain line items.

When asked about the ministry’s goal to regularise more areas for housing this year, he said the government plans to develop at least five areas. Areas in Port Mourant, Vergenoegen, Christiansburg and Wismar are among those to be regularised.

And Croal said, “A minimum of 479 lots should be regularised this year.”

Further, the ministry is catering for public engagement activities in its $3.2 billion current expenditures. Aside from paying wages and salaries and funding other day-to-day expenses, there is a $20 allocation for this year’s Building Expo and $13 million for several ‘Dream Realised’ house lot distribution exercises.

The biggest chunk of the ministry’s capital spending- about $69.3 billion- is for the continued construction of highways, building and infrastructure works in new and existing areas.

And included in that sum, is a $304 million allocation for the continued construction of the Housing Ministry’s new five-storey office building in Houston. Last year, $467 million was allocated to start the construction of that facility.