Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, has confirmed that the Ministry is moving forward with the regularisation of Parcel 1, Conception or Fitz Hope, widely known as Amelia’s Ward Phase 4.
The announcement was made during a site visit on Wednesday, where he was accompanied by Minister within the Ministry, Vanessa Benn, Community Development Director, Mr. Gladwin Charles, and other technical officers.
Minister Croal noted that while squatting is illegal, the Government is committed to working with families to bring resolution and improved living standards.
He explained that some persons began occupying the area in 2018 and 2019, during a period when several individuals stated they had made applications to the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission to access land there. However, no Government agency engaged those groups at the time regarding formal regulation, which led to the expansion of irregular settlement.
CH&PA first intervened in December 2020, meeting with a committee representing the settlers and committing to a structured regularisation process.
During this initial phase, structures were documented and numbered to establish occupancy patterns. The first exercise took place in December 2020, where 53 structures were recorded. Additional documentation was carried out in March 2021 and again in June 2022, ensuring that all occupied lots were accounted for.
In 2022, CH&PA secured formal ownership of the land and a full survey of the area was subsequently conducted between August 1 and August 31, 2023. The final plan outlines 747 lots across two sections, including a designated regularisation area consisting of 431 lots.
Progress has already been made in distributing legal documentation to residents. To date, 253 allocation letters have been issued, 119 Certificates of Title have been processed, and 31 transports have been issued. Minister Croal emphasised that the Ministry is committed to resolving all outstanding matters in Fitz Hope and ensuring a transparent and equitable system for land allocation.
“In Fitz Hope, persons moved onto lands that were already allocated. We have committed to clearing the backlog and putting an end to irregular settlement. We are working with Lands, Survey and NICIL to ensure that every citizen in Linden who needs a lot can access one through the correct process,” he stated. “We have strengthened our monitoring mechanism, particularly within the Enforcement Unit at the Linden office, to prevent further irregular occupation. Our goal is fairness and order.”
The Minister reaffirmed that the housing programme in Region Ten will continue to expand, ensuring that deserving families are facilitated through proper channels and that communities are developed in a structured and sustainable manner.
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