Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley (FP)??

The Housing and Neighbourhood Upgrading Programme is scheduled to begin in Garden Land, Country Road, St. Michael, at the end of August. It will last for a period of 18 months.

This was announced by Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, who addressed over 50 residents who attended a town hall meeting at the Ministry’s Country Park headquarters, last Saturday evening.??

The residents were assured by Mr. Lashley that his Ministry and its agencies would do whatever was necessary and in their best interests to mitigate any discomfort that would be caused as a result of the construction during the project.????

"The total estimated cost of construction at Garden Land is approximately $5M and includes the upgrading of the sewerage system, a pump station building to be constructed, 171 house connections and laterals, utilities associated with remedial work, toilet add-ons for 18 households and road resurfacing," Minister Lashley stated.??

One component of the project will involve connection to the Bridgetown Sewerage System. This area extends from Skeete’s Road in the North to Tamarind Road in the South.??

In response to several queries, Mr. Lashley explained that the Ministry would bear the cost of removing the trees that were posing a problem in Tamarind Avenue and securing the cars of residents who needed to park in the old Welfare Department’s car park. The installation of natural gas would be examined at a later stage, he noted.

Mr. Lashley further disclosed that the plans for the four pilot sites, at Allen View, in St. Thomas and Garden Land, Cats Castle and Greenfield in St. Michael, had been reviewed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and were still being examined by the Barbados Water Authority and the Town and Country Planning Department.??

The objectives of the HNUP are to upgrade, redevelop and revitalise select low-income communities across Barbados; provide solutions to the challenge of affordable housing and incremental home construction; and strengthening the agencies involved in the provision of housing and neighbourhood revitalisation.??

The project was approved on January 16, 2008 and officially launched on October 7, 2009.?? The Barbados $80M programme is funded by the Government of Barbados and the IDB.??

lbayley@barbados.gov.bb

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