CH&PA cracks down on empty house lots

Nov 03, 2015 News

It appears that Government will be cracking down on citizens who have acquired house lots but have failed to start construction.
In the past, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) had relaxed the six-month deadline granted to house lot allottees for construction to start.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott

Many of the housing schemes across the country are filled with empty lots, some of them overgrown with bush and with neighbours in the dark about the owners.
According to Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, who has responsibilities for housing, Government is pushing to wrap-up the development of recognised housing schemes. He wants defaulters to start work on their lands.
The construction in the housing schemes is essential to completing the housing areas, Scott said in a Government statement yesterday.
According to the Minister, no longer will the Ministry give ears to those who give the excuse that they have not taken up their lot, because the housing areas are without adequate infrastructure and supporting facilities and amenities.
“….People cannot just come to us, get a house lot and just stay back and say that they are waiting for everything to be 100 percent,” he said.
According to the Minister, development is a two-way street.
“We (the Ministry of Communities) know that we have to give you services, and we do that, but we expect you (the persons that have received lots), to occupy, because your very occupancy encourages others to come,” he said.
He noted that there will also always be areas that need to be addressed to make people feel comfortable, “but you also need to understand that going into a new area is a pioneering spirit, when you go there, we expect you to come in and let us collectively work to enhance the place as quickly as possible.”
Over the years, house lot owners have been complaining that the unpaved streets and an absence of water and electricity have hampered them in construction.

An empty lot in Diamond, a village on the East Bank Demerara.

Under regulations, house lot owners have to start building six months after acquiring the land.
However, many schemes have roads and the amenities…and a significant number of empty lots too.
Officials have said that many owners have acquired the lots as an investment rather than for homes.
In wrapping up the infrastructure development in these areas, Minister Scott said that housing engineers have been looking at the roads, water, the installation of infrastructure for electricity, and also at areas, where they can put in playfields.
“There are many young Clive Lloyds and Rohan Kanhais, awaiting just the opportunity…,” he pointed out.
The Minister noted that the completion of the housing developments is critical, as Government moves forward with its vision for the housing sector. It wants to facilitate a nation housed in cohesive and sustainable communities, through the provision of serviced lots and the building of houses.
“Key to this vision is ensuring that no longer will communities be set up without adequate infrastructure, essential support facilities and amenities, as these are vital in facilitating easy living and orderly development.”
There has been anger over the empty lots, especially as there are about 25,000 applications on file by families who are renting or living with relatives.