Govt completes relocation of 89 illegal households from Cummings Park reserve

The Housing Ministry on Wednesday reported that all 89 households that were illegally occupying the Cummings Park reserve (extending from Ogle to the east and Sophia to the west) have now been successfully relocated to sustainable housing schemes along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

The relocation was facilitated through the Central Housing and Planning Authority. The reserve is a zero-tolerance zone, and the illegal occupation posed serious safety hazards, especially as it falls within the Eugene F. Correia International Airport flight path.

The relocation of the informal settlers along the Cummings Park reserve, undertaken through the Ministry’s comprehensive Relocation and Resettlement Programme , has allowed families to transition to planned schemes where they can lawfully own homes with access to utilities and infrastructure.

Back in August, the 14 remaining squatters occupying the Cummings Park area were given 10 days to relocate.

In 2025, the Government intensified efforts to clear the area, encouraging occupants to apply for house lots through the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA). At the time, some 40 individuals applied for house lots and began the process of relocating to allocated lands, while several other families were assisted by the Housing Ministry in securing allocations and relocating.

Formal removal notices were also issued, with authorities warning that persons who continued to occupy the area illegally or refused to cooperate would face enforcement action.

The Housing Ministry maintained that the area falls within a strict zero-tolerance squatting zone and stressed that its actions were aimed at safeguarding public safety and ensuring the land is used in keeping with national development objectives.

Earlier this year, a public communications consultant for the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Kit Nascimento, alleged that opposition political parties had approached the squatters and encouraged them to remain in the area despite repeated warnings from airport authorities. He said the squatters had established accommodation in a zone where housing is strictly prohibited because of its proximity to the airport’s flight path.

According to Nascimento, airport authorities had first informed the occupants approximately two years ago that they could not remain there and would have to relocate. However, instead of leaving, he said, the settlement continued to expand.