Housing Minister, Michael Lashley??broke ground at Parish Land, St. Philip, today, Wednesday, August 18.?? The site will eventually see the construction of??122 affordable houses.??
Infrastructural work has begun at the Parish Land Housing Every Last Person (HELP) site in St. Philip, where 122 houses will be built.
Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, accompanied by National Housing Corporation (NHC) board members and senior staff, today broke ground at the 18.1 acre site.??
During a media briefing, he revealed that the project would consist of 92 houses. These include two-bedroom homes in two styles and an 820 square foot, three-bedroom two bathroom model.?? The recently publicised "Starter Homes Policy" will also be utilised at the site, which will see 30 homes being built.????
The policy has been designed to give low-income earners who work for less than $3000 monthly, an opportunity to purchase a house costing between $70,000 and $100,000, with the expectation that improvements would be made to these properties over time, based on the financial circumstances of purchasers.
According to the Housing Minister, a public tender would soon be issued, inviting small contractors to submit tenders for the construction of houses at Parish Land.?? He also disclosed that projects at Greens, St. George and Four Hill and French Village, St. Peter, had already been allocated.????
The houses at Parish land will mainly be constructed in wall but wood and wall structures would also be erected.?? Lots range from 3,500 to 4,500 square feet.
The development will include an open space and a sewerage treatment plant which will replace the traditional suck well system. Infrastructural works are being carried out by Rayside Construction Limited.
While delivering welcome remarks, Acting General Manager of the NHC, Lanette Napoleon Young, noted that in addition to Parish Land, two projects at Lancaster ??in St. James would be launched very soon.
"At these three sites we will again be engaging the services of small contractors, approximately a dozen here at Parish Land and 10 at the locations at Lancaster… This is a continuation of what has been started in terms of utilising small contractors at our various locations -Constant, Coverley Phase 2 [the Villages at Coverley] in Christ Church, in the St. Philip districts of ??Marchfield… Work Hall, French Village and Four Hill in St. Peter," she said. lbayley@barbados.gov.bb??????????