The Ministry of housing is taking an aggressive approach to solve the housing problems in Barbados.

Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, made the anouncement during a site visit to Country Park Towers today.  Stating that they are approximately 25,000 people on the housing waiting list, he added that his ministry and the National Housing Cooperation (NHC) were hoping to put a dent in the list by January next year.  

“We can address the problems in housing in an aggressive manner.  We have found land available and it is a matter of just getting out there and doing the work.  I am not just going to sit back with a defeated attitude and say it cannot be done; I am going to take a hands on approach to projects, Mr. Lashley declared.”

The Minister stressed the importance of project management, as a means of monitoring progress and avoiding cost over-runs. 

The first four-storey block of the Country Park Towers, is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.  The block will comprise of 16 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom units.  

However, Minister Lashley opined that four-storey housing units may be the way to go in the future.  “You have to maximize and utilize the land space, and if we go four stories, obviously, we can accommodate more families; to me it would not make any sense to go three stories where you can go four stories.”

Another phase of the Country Park Towers, housing project is schedule to begin in the near future.  The Minister added that they have been given the okay to build a new housing scheme at Tweedside Road.  It is slated to get under way in the first quarter of next year with houses for 22 families.

Minister Lashley praised the Town Planning Department for their dedication to the task ahead.  He noted that there is a good relationship between the Town Planning, the Environmental Department, the Ministry of Housing, and the NHC.

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