SEVERAL excited Linden police officers on Wednesday became owners of low-income house lots after sharing their frustration with the slow system the Minister of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valarie Patterson.

The police officers stormed the Mackenzie Police Station, where Minister Patterson hosted a special outreach in an effort to edify them on the housing projects that will soon commence by her ministry and how they can benefit from same.

The Minister, along with her team from Central Housing and Planning Authority, made a detailed presentation of the housing units which will be built across Guyana, but most importantly highlighted the 70 duplex apartments that will be constructed in Linden.

But after the presentation, many of the officers still opted to own lands, which will allow them to construct their own home. They noted that even though they applied many years ago for land, they are yet to be allocated a plot. Minister Patterson took this opportunity and immediately sold low-income lands for ($92,000) to police officers who were in receipt of their letters.
Once they were able to pay half of the cost of the land, the officers were made land-owners. Many rushed to capitalise on this offer and were given lot numbers to lands located in Amelia’s Ward.

Meanwhile, 40 of the duplexes will be built in Amelia’s Ward, while 30 will be built in Wisroc. The Minister explained to the police officers that the duplexes will cost between 6-8 million dollars, but the final cost is still to be ironed out. The officers, who were taken aback by the cost, explained that with their salaries, the bank will not grant loans and therefore the possibility of them owning the duplexes will be very slim. The Minister said she is aware of the salaries of the police officers and agreed that it will be difficult indeed for them to access loans. As such, she noted that provisions will be put in place to accommodate the ranks.

“I am quite aware [of] where the salary level is and we want to provide for state employees so therefore at the end of the consultation, a proposal will be pulled. I’ve already spoken to one of the senior personnel at the Ministry of Finance because I recognise that there has to be government involvement. I have asked if the bank can look at extending the repayment period which will reduce your monthly installment or if the government would be willing to negotiate with the bank to see if the interest rate can come down,” Minister Patterson told the ranks.

Construction of the duplexes will commence in May and priority will be given to State employees, youths and middle-income earners. In response to a question from the cops, the Minister explained that the duplexes have three designs; one design will be two flats, the other will be on stilt, giving the owner the choice of enclosing their bottom flat, while the other will be two storeys. There will be duplexes constructed of both concrete and timber and these will carry varying cost.

The apartments carry a measurement of 30 × 40, while the land will be 75 × 75. Each duplex will carry two bedrooms and the separating wall goes from the front of the yard to the back, allowing each owner to have their own yard space; it will also be both fire and sound-proof.

The schemes will be furnished with social and infrastructural facilities. Once payment is complete, the owners will be given a certificate of title. The Ministry also plans to implement a “rent to own” system rather than be burdened with a hefty mortgage. The Minister however encouraged the cops to take advantage of the duplexes, given the limited lands available in Linden.
“Let’s maximize on the duplexes because that will start very soon because we don’t have house land to give all of you,” the minister urged.

She encouraged them to attend the housing exhibition, which will held in May, to get a first-hand view of what is in store.