800 Turnkey units to be constructed this year

Jan 14, 2017 News

Gov’t identifies 10 locations in six Regions

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, yesterday announced that the Government will be embarking on an initiative that will see the construction of approximately 800 turnkey units, including duplexes and

Some of the Turnkey homes in Perseverance. (File Photo)

townhouses this year.
These units, the Minister said, will be constructed in 10 locations in six Administrative Regions. These are Regions Two, (Pomeroon/Supenaam); Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara); Four (Demerara/Mahaica); Five (Mahaica/Berbice); Six (East Berbice/Corentyne); and Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice).
It is expected that the 800 units will be completed this year, Bulkan said.
The Minister’s revelation would come four years after the former regime, now main parliamentary opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)— embarked on an initiative to provide low income families with 1,000 turnkey homes at Perseverance, a community located behind Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The project faced criticisms from the start after some homes were not properly constructed. This led to fingers being pointed at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the then Minister responsible for Housing, Irfaan Ali.
The criticisms escalated since there were no clear indications of the procedures that were used to hire contractors and whether these fell in line with the accepted national procurement processes.
After the change in government in May 2015, the new CH&PA board launched investigations into various housing programmes, including the turnkey project.
A key official had told Kaieteur News that there existed a “wild-west” situation when it came to ensuring value for money and the turnkey homes.
Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Patterson, reportedly said last year January, that several new homeowners complained that structures, which cost up to $4.9M ($4.4M for the house and $500,000 for the land), were poor.
In 2016, the CH&PA birthed an initiative to carry out remedial works on these defective buildings and also, completed some of the structures.
Minister Bulkan reported yesterday that a total of 90 existing turnkey structures at Perseverance were completed and remedial works were completed on 70 others. However, no new houses were constructed.
Meanwhile, a proposal for the construction of approximately 3360 apartment units at three locations: La Penitence, Little and Great Diamond and Cummings Lodge, has been submitted to the Islamic Development Bank for “possible funding”.
Minister Bulkan, during the Ministry of Communities Senior Staff Conference yesterday in Georgetown, said that a team from the Bank will be in Guyana later this month to facilitate further discussions.
He said, too, that one of the CH&PA goals for the period 2016 to 2021 is to have a total of 10,000 housing units built – all to “high standards with proper community features.”
Kaieteur News reported a few days ago, that for the year 2016, a total of 2,015 house lots were allocated. This achievement is more than 100 percent of the annual target of 1000 allocations. Also, 221 regularized squatters received allocation letters of the target of 400.
Also, the CH&PA in collaboration with United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) through funding from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) completed a Housing Profile Study for Guyana in 2016. This Housing Profile will be used as the basis to develop a National Housing Strategy for Guyana.

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