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| Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley (left), admires the cupboards installed in the kitchen of NHC units at Fordes Road. (A. Miller/BGIS) |
A number of Barbadians will receive an extra gift this Christmas, thanks to the efforts of the National Housing Corporation (NHC).
According to Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, there will be a presentation of keys to individuals who have applied for houses at River Crescent, St. Philip and Fordes Road, Clapham, St. Michael.
The Minister, who was at the time speaking to the press during a tour of the two housing projects, said that he had "been given the assurance from the technical staff of the NHC that these houses [at River Crescent] will be allocated before Christmas… and we are on track in relation to Fordes Road, Clapham, to hand over those keys before Christmas."
He proclaimed that the seven hardwood houses at River Crescent, which are part of the NHC’s Rent-To-Own programme, were of an "outstanding" quality and lauded the staff of the NHC for their "good workmanship".
"The houses are still within the 500 square feet margin, but what we’ve done is, we actually constructed these houses on columns, so you have a proper utilisation of limited land space. So, someone getting this house, in future, can develop underneath and of course rent it out… [or] if the family gets bigger there is more space downstairs," Minister Lashley pointed out.
Alluding to the quadpads at Fordes Road, the Minister confirmed that they would be utilised as rental units, but may become part of the Rent-to-Own programme in the future.
"This type of development we will try to replicate throughout other areas throughout Barbados. We also have to cater to those who cannot purchase land or cannot purchase a house, so this is a project that would fit into that concept," the Housing Minister noted.
Minister Lashley also drew attention to the seven-storey housing facility at Valerie, which he affirmed is "99 per cent completed". He stated that it would be the first high rise apartment building in Barbados, and highlighted the modern sewage treatment plant and accommodation for the disabled community as two of its features.