Another emerging housing scheme on the up and up

AS the zeal and enthusiasm, coupled with the necessity for more families to acquire their own homes continue to grow around coastal Guyana, more and more housing schemes are being opened up. For this reason, the demand for land seems to be vastly outgrowing what is available.

One such housing scheme rapidly catching on, is the “Manumitted Ville” intended to be a private, gated community at Friendship, East Bank Demerara. For that housing scheme, the land is being made available through a private housing developer, Noah Yashuarun.
The scheme, which got off to a start a few years ago, was initially moving at a snail’s pace, but as demand grew and infrastructural works kicked in, the sale of land and construction of houses picked up.

The Pepperpot Magazine recently visited Manumitted Ville and spoke with Yashuarun, who facilitated a tour of the area.

Manumitted Ville is located on the left hand of the main East Bank Demerara thoroughfare, running through the Friendship neighbourhood. The scheme is divided up into some 70 house lots of basically 50’ x 100’ in dimension. Currently, there are about six house lots still available.

There is also provision for a church, community centre, school, and health centre.
Yashuarun explained that the presence of a trench running across the road which would allow access to the housing area greatly hindered the sale of the house lots initially. This was because there was no bridge to link the two sides. As a result, vehicles could not enter the scheme to deliver building materials to enhance the building process.

“But out of interest, and a desire to see the scheme get going and flourish, I took some hard decisions. First, I constructed a bridge to allow access to the house lots and later engaged in other infrastructural works,” the developer said.

“That being done, I later personally lobbied — and successfully so — for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and the Guyana Water Inc. to supply water to the scheme, effectively enhancing the building process,” Yashuarun said. Thereafter, there was a resurgence of interest and more people began buying the lands. The homeowners include public and private sector persons, as well as the self-employed.

The land is rich in agricultural fertility so that the scheme already is bearing fruit trees, kitchen gardens and flower gardens as well.

Excited at the prospect of being the virtual springboard to jump-start the development of the housing scheme, Noah shared with the Pepperpot Magazine his dream for development of the community where residents would live at peace with each other; look out for each other, safe and sound, in the comfort of their own homes.

It must be an environment where the church and school must be the bedrock of what residents set themselves to achieve, and where little children would live like little children with respect for themselves, their peers and not least – their elders. “ All in all, it reminds me of the days when… it took a village to bring up a child,” one purchaser contended.