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Workers of the National Housing Corporation installing a concrete boxing to house electrical conduit from the units.??

Government’s infilling programme has begun at Sayes Court in Christ Church with a block of three units scheduled to be completed in another two to three months.

Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, gave this news following a tour of the Deacons housing area where electrical upgrade works are being carried out. He was accompanied by representative for the area and Minister with responsibility for Urban and Rural Development, Christopher Sinckler.

Additional infilling projects will also shortly be launched at the Pine, in St. Michael; Silver Hill in Christ Church; Valerie in Brittons Hill; and Rosemont in Deacons, St. Michael, where 16 units will be built.
New housing units are also scheduled to be constructed at Haggatt Hall, Clapham, Fordes Road and Eckstein Village, in St Michael.

In response to concerns that the programme would utilise all the open spaces in existing developments, Minister Lashley said: "We certainly will not run wild and take up every space within an estate … we have to go with Town Planning and other agencies to see what areas we can utilise, because there must be open spaces."

The Housing Minister explained that the National Housing Corporation (NHC) was utilising a three-phased approach to meet the public’s housing needs and both large and small contractors were being employed. "We will utilise large contractors who put their financing up front and as part of the agreement, the small contractors would then be utilised by some of the large contractors. In the third phase, NHC workers would then be building some of the units and houses," Mr. Lashley added.

Minister with responsibility for Urban and Rural Development, Christopher Sinckler, lauded the work of the Housing Ministry and stressed that Government’s Housing Every Last Person programme featured an integrated approach. "It cannot only be Government, because Government, frankly does not have the resources. We have to work with the private sector…

"We see people every possible day, not only seeking housing, but persons who may have been unfortunately evicted or are facing eviction from private properties. The question we are facing is, how do we tackle this situation?… The Ministry of Social Care, is trying to produce some solutions for people, along with NHC, and other agencies… It makes no sense having the biggest hotels on the west coast or the most expensive condominiums on the east coast, if the people in the middle really are suffering," Mr. Sinckler opined. lbayley@barbados.gov.bb

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