In Experiment housing scheme, 450 lots ready for occupancy

The Housing and Water Ministry has announced that four hundred and fifty house lot beneficiaries of Region Five can now access their lands in the Experiment Housing Scheme and begin the construction of their homes.

Junior Minister, Susan Rodrigues visited the scheme on Wednesday to have a first-hand look of the ongoing infrastructure works which are about 85 per cent completed.

It was revealed that over $455M in contracts was awarded to four contractors to develop the housing scheme last year. It was noted that shortage of materials and the extensive rainy period had delayed the works.

“We are taking full advantage of the sunny weather that we are having… If there are people in the region who have paid for their house lots but have not been shown their lots, they can go to the regional housing office and they will be guided as to who will come and identify their lots,” Rodrigues said during the inspection.

The minister said that infrastructure works catered for the construction of access roads, bridges, culverts and the installation of water supply networks.

“We don’t want to hold back progress; we don’t want to hold back people from coming to occupy their house lots. So, we need them to get in touch with the office so that the surveyors and clerks can bring them on the ground to identify their house lots,” Minister Rodrigues said.

Michelle Mingo, a mother of two was the first to identify her land after engaging the minister in an earlier meeting at Fairfield.

Mingo who applied for land since 2005, said she was happy that she will now be able to build a home for her family.

It was noted that some 513 lots were allocated in the Experiment housing scheme last year. When the infrastructure works are completed, the remaining allottees will access their land.

Further, there are about 4,000 applications for house lots in the ministry’s database.

However, it was disclosed that government is well on track to deliver on its 50,000 house lots distribution by 2025. It was revealed that in the first two years of the government’s term in office, over 15,000 lots were distributed.

It was disclosed that in 2022 alone, the ministry anticipates over 14,000 house lots will be distributed.

Additionally, government is also implementing several measures to make homeownership for Guyanese more affordable.