The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is currently working on the second phase of the Cummings Lodge housing project, which will see an additional 100 homes being constructed.
Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said the additional houses will cater to the needs of Guyanese seeking to own their own homes.
He was speaking on Wednesday, at a graduation ceremony honouring Community Service Officers (CSOs) at the Hinterland Student Dormitory, Liliendaal.
“That is happening immediately because when the land is cleared the contractors will commence their work. So, we have the clearance for that, so it’s an ongoing process.”
In phase one, the minister noted that persons have already been pre-qualified and beneficiaries are awaiting access to their homes.
Minister Croal said he is pleased with the progress of the project.
“There was a small portion of land that we had an issue with …, there’s concern by the Ogle airport in terms of the flight path, but we have clearance for that area and so we’ll be building some flat houses there … So, we have to do the land preparation for that, we have about 30 acres there identified.”
He added that the process has been progressing favourably.
“It’s moving according to plan, there was a slight delay for that part of Cummings Lodge 1767 because remember we ran into a few persons who were illegally occupying the area, so we did the settlement, we went through the process because there were some farming activities taking place and so that is out of the way so the clearance is continuing.”
In addition to the works being carried out in the Cummings Lodge area, land clearing for future developments is also ongoing on the East Bank of Demerara.
“This is for future developments, recall that earlier in the year you would have had the signing of contracts for infrastructure work and these are for areas where we’ve already allocated. So, what happens for example our budgetary allocation programme, our allocation exercises that we have now for areas that have been identified, it forms part of our budgetary programme for 2022 because it informs us of areas that have to be developed in the coming year, so that is a cycle that continues.”
Minister Croal said allottees for the first phase Cummings Lodge project would be able to access their homes very shortly.
In March, the CH&PA signed 51 contracts for the construction of 290 homes. Included in that amount are the 190 elevated homes in Cummings Lodge, while another 100, two-bedroom flats will be constructed at Prospect, East Bank Demerara.
The homes are part of the 1,000 young professional, low-income and middle-income housing units the Ministry plans to build this year as part of the CH&PA’s National Housing Development Programme.
The units are being built at Cummings Lodge, Prospect, Providence, Little Diamond and Great Diamond in Region Four; Onderneeming and Wales in Region Three; Ordnance/Fortlands, Hampshire and Williamsburg in Region Six and Amelia’s Ward in Region 10.
