– CEO says processing of applications still ongoing

IN recognising the effects of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the local economy, the Central Housing and Planning Authority has taken a decision to extend the Republic/Jubilee promotion, which was created to commemorate Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary.

Initially, the duration of the promotion was for three months, starting from March 1, 2020 and ending on May 26, 2020, but Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CH&PA, Lelon Saul, said the promotion will last from June to August.

Persons, who were recently allocated land, valued $2 million or less, will be required to make a down-payment of 50 per cent on their land by June 31, 2020 and will have until August 31 to pay the remainder.

“There are persons who are currently out of employment because of COVID-19, so we have decided that it is necessary for us to extend the timeline so that the target group can benefit from the Jubilee promotion,” said Saul during a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle, on Wednesday.

Saul, in a past report, had said the promotion will cost the authority $90 million in subsidies, and it (authority) was already subsidising the cost of house lots by about 90 per cent. He said it costs the authority about $3.5 million to develop house lots and they are sold for as low as $100,000, in some cases.

“We are fulfilling our mandate to provide housing for this country…we are putting people in communities and, with this promotion, we will have greater occupancy and we will build sustainable communities,” said Saul.

Over the past few months, lands were distributed in Prospect, Mon Repos, LBI, Annandale, Lusignan, Bladen Hall and Experiment, among other places.
“We continue to provide services in a limited way because of COVID-19…we have staff working from home but they would come in to the office from time to time…there are land applications in the system, so we are continuing to process those applications,” said Saul, on Wednesday.

It was recently reported that the CH&PA, in its quest to meet the high housing demand in the country, will be providing approximately 1,600 housing solutions to Guyanese for 2020.
Of that number, approximately 400 house lots, totalling 70 acres, will be allocated to the Joint Services – the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Prison Service.

Saul had said an additional 1,200 housing solutions, comprising both house lots and built units, will be developed, and allocated to applicants during 2020. It was noted that between 2015 and 2019, a total of 6,541 house lots were allocated to citizens across the country, in addition to 444 built units in Regions Three, Four, Five and 10 – amounting to approximately 7,000 in total. The built units included duplexes, upper elevated two-bedroom houses, single flat two and three-bedroom houses.