BELLE West Phase 1, located on the West Bank of Demerara, is now a thriving community with a 77% occupancy rate.The community was established in 1999 to accommodate 1,124 houselots, and it is situated on the West Bank of the Demerara River, a 20-minute drive from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB).

Government, through the Ministry of Housing and Water, is currently upgrading the community’s roads to asphaltic concrete surface.

This growing community also has access to electricity, cellular-phone services, potable water and roads.
Contractors, H. Nauth and Sons and Bardon Construction Services, were awarded contracts to upgrade the roads. The projects began on January 22, and are expected to be completed on June 22, 2015. Works are moving apace, and already the socio-economic benefits of having proper road networks are being felt.
MEETING THE MINISTER
Some time ago, Minister with responsibility for Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, visited the community of Belle West and engaged the residents on certain developmental issues, with one of the major topics being the upgrading of their roads and access bridges.
“Residents of Belle West, Canal No. 2 on the West Bank of Demerara, chose to have a concrete access bridge, along with the rehabilitation of four main roads in their community. The decision was made during a meeting between residents and Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali at the Belle West Multi-Purpose Centre in Region 3,” reads an extract from the meeting.
Resident PAMELA GEORGE, who moved two years ago to Belle West Phase 1 from Wales, another community in Region 3, noted that she is pleased with the level of development in the area, especially the ongoing road works. She is optimistic, in light of the various opportunities that would be available when the works are completed.

George related that prior to the road project, Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali had consulted with residents on different developmental projects for the community at the communal multi-purpose building. There, it was decided that having better roads was a priority of the residents. They also signalled the need for a bridge to have improved access to the community.
George said that while not all the roads in the community were bad, there were potholes and failure of road surface materials that made commuting difficult during the wet weather. In fact, more vehicles are now traversing the community since the construction works began.

DEVIKA PERSAUD, who operates a small shop in Belle West Phase I, and whose street was already upgraded to asphaltic concrete surface, said prior to the works, hire cars did not traverse there. Additionally, purchasing goods for her small business was challenging, since she was forced to fetch heavy bags long distances.
Reflecting on the development of Belle West Phase 1, Persaud said that when her family moved to the area 14 years ago, there were hardly any houses, and no electricity. Life at that time had seemed hard, but the security of having one’s own home was the comforting factor.

BELLE WEST TODAY
As time passed, schools and places of worship were constructed, and small businesses began to grow. Within the last five years, there has been an increase in activity, particularly the construction of more houses that led to the transformation of Belle West Phase 1.
To satisfy the growing housing demand of more Guyanese, the ministry established Belle West Phase 2 in 2011. Belle West Phase 2 is a smaller scheme created to accommodate 440 lots. Presently, the community has an occupancy rate of 45%. The occupancy level of phase 2 is expected to increase given that the electrical distribution network in the area has been completed.
Belle West Phase 2 is one of the schemes under the Government of Guyana/Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Second Low-Income Settlement Programme. It benefited from the provision or upgrade of infrastructure and the core house pilot, where 59 core houses were constructed benefiting 236 persons.
In May, the ministry will commence maintenance works on the roads in Belle West Phase 2. Resurfacing of the roadways will not be done until the occupancy level increases. In the interim, maintenance works would be done to assist the flow of traffic.
Creating these housing establishments is costly, but investment in family is priceless. The ministry is proud to have provided families with an asset that could be passed on from one generation to another.