Gov’t to acquire private lands as Region Five nears full housing allocation

Minister of Housing, Collin Croal on Friday revealed that the government has nearly exhausted available land for housing allocations in Region Five, prompting efforts to identify and acquire additional parcels to meet growing demand.

Speaking to reporters, Croal said there are currently about 4,000 pending housing applications in Region 5.

“In fact in Region Five, we are going through the process of trying to find additional lands.

“We know we will have to acquire because we have maximized the proximity, we are in close proximity for the state land and so we will have to go to private owners to be able to acquire. That is what we are doing right now, as we are doing in other regions, Croal said.

He noted that this challenge is not unique to Region Five, as the government has already exhausted available lands for housing schemes along the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara.

Despite this, Croal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to clearing the existing backlog of housing applications, a pledge made by President Irfaan Ali and outlined in the government’s manifesto.

“We have said we will clear all the backlog. That’s the commitment that was made by the President,” he said.

The government has set an ambitious target of delivering 40,000 house lots within the next five years, and according to Croal, the focus has shifted toward ensuring citizens achieve home ownership even as allocations continue where land is still available.

“It therefore means that if we are clearing the backlog, there will be a massive exercise to come to ensure that this is done,” Croal said.

With state lands now largely allocated, particularly in high-demand regions, Croal noted that the Ministry is expected to pursue new partnerships and land acquisitions to sustain the national housing drive.