1,000 assigned house lots in Region Three – DPI

Some 1,000 persons were expected to be assigned house lots yesterday at Vive La Force, Vriesland and Plantation Lorenzo at the Wales Housing Development in Region Three.

A release from the Department of Public Information (DPI) stated that Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, and Minister within the Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, spearheaded the housing exercise at the Regional Housing Office in Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara.  Region Three alone, DPI noted, currently has about 10,000 pending applicants.

According to DPI, Croal said that the Housing Ministry has decided to accelerate its efforts to clear the backlog.

“For those persons who have pending housing applications, we are asking for your patience. Everyone will be served.” He announced that all pending applicants before December 31, 2024, will receive an allocation letter by the end of July. DPI said the government injected $10.5 billion into infrastructure works at the Wales Housing Scheme to ensure allottees can access their lands before the year ends. DPI said Croal  added that the first phase of infrastructure works has already been completed to provide access to the area.

Before yesterday’s lot distribution, DPI said over 9,424 house lots were allocated in Region Three. About 2,900 lots were distributed at Wales Housing Development alone. Minister within the ministry, Susan Rodrigues said government has been consistent in its housing programme over the years, and many families have been empowered through homeownership. She added that the government is working to deliver over 50,000 house lots in five years.

“This is a remarkable achievement to move from a point where the housing programme was failing the people during the opposition’s years and getting to a point where anyone with an application in Region Three up to 2024 can present their application and receive a house lot.”

DPI said a total of 768 land titles will be available during the housing drive for persons who were allocated lands at Plantation Meten-Meer-Zorg Phase II. The allottees can then leverage their legal document to obtain a loan from the banks to embark on their home construction journey. The ministry, according to DPI, has processed more than 18,316 land titles and transports, of which 3,926 have been processed for Region Three to date.

DPI also said that thirty-seven landowners from Region Three received their steel and cement vouchers. This housing support initiative was implemented, DPI said, to stimulate the local economy by injecting some $8.3 million. DPI said Region Three has so far received over 214 vouchers, injecting $53.5 million into the region to date. Since its conception, DPI said that government has disbursed over $467 million, which equates to more than 1,868 vouchers.