FOLLOWING the expression of interest by a Polish developer to construct houses here in Guyana, a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), led by subject Minister Valerie Patterson, is expected to travel to that country before weekend.Minister Patterson told the Guyana Chronicle that some time back a Polish developer had visited Guyana and expressed interest in fulfilling housing work here. The minister noted that while her team would be visiting Poland, all expenses would be paid by the Polish company, since they are interested in highlighting the types of housing projects they have executed in their country.
“It is just like the Surinamese developer who invited us there [to Suriname] to see their model homes,” Minister Patterson explained. “After expressing interest in doing work here, they wanted us to see what they have done in their home country.”
Minister Patterson explained that at this stage, it is purely an expression of interest and interaction between Guyana and the Polish company as to what they can offer. The government recently announced Cabinet’s approval of some 758 housing units to be constructed in seven of the country’s administrative regions to the tune of G$5billion. When asked about the Polish company in relation to the new homes to be built, Minister Patterson indicated that no consideration has been given to that, since the ministry and the company are in their initial stage of communication.
It was noted however that the construction of the housing units is the first phase of a programme to develop local housing to benefit particularly public sector families, youths and low-income earners. Minister of State Joseph Harmon made the announcement last week, during a post-Cabinet press briefing.
Minister Harmon pointed out that the housing units would take the form of either town houses or duplexes, and that some 1500 persons would be shortlisted from a backlog of housing applicants. The project, it was stated, should start almost immediately, and “it is anticipated that within the space of 12 months it will be completed.”
The last time the Housing Ministry had however visited a foreign country in relation to housing development, several local contractors had expressed discontent. The local contractors, General Contractors Association of Guyana (GCAG), had claimed that they were being overlooked for even consultations in relation to housing development. They had claimed in a letter to the Housing Ministry and forwarded to President David Granger that an “assignation of a sizeable housing construction project to a foreign firm is taking place, even as several of our members as well as large numbers of other tradesmen in various sub-sectors of the construction sector remain without jobs.” They had called for an urgent meeting with authorities to discuss the issue.