– ‘Innovation Village’, 400 young professionals’ homes to be built

THE development of Guyana’s first smart urban centre, ‘Silica City’, is being “aggressively” pursued by the Ministry of Housing and Water (MOHW) – Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), according to a statement from the ministry.

The ministry, on Wednesday, said Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, visited the site earmarked for the city’s first phase development.
That development is within the vicinity of Kuru-Kururu on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

Minister Rodrigues was accompanied by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Andre Ally; CH&PA’s Chief Development Planner, Germene Stewart; Director of Projects, Omar Narine; Deputy Director Intakab Indarjeet; Deputy Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), Michael Hutson; and other technical staff.

Minister Rodrigues, according to the statement, said the inland city, which will complement Georgetown, is designed to address growing climate change risks.
The establishment of Silica City was proposed in 2013 by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali during his tenure as Minister of Housing and Water.
The city’s construction is in keeping with Guyana’s international commitment to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), to the New Urban Agenda, follows the provisions of the Housing Act, and other guidelines.

“We are aggressively pursuing plans for the construction of Silica City… [and] we are here today to advance the planning and designs for the area so that we can bring this city to an early realization,” the Minister said.

She added, “Silica city will have in its first phase about 3,000 acres of land, but we are starting to do the land clearing for the first 185 acres, which will feature the ‘Innovation Village’ and the first 400 young professional homes.”

Minister Rodrigues said the ministry has already begun shortlisting persons for the homes.

The city’s first phase development is also expected to feature a number of commercial and industrial developments as well as hospitals, the statement noted.
While these plans are in motion, land acquisition for phase two is also in progress through collaborative efforts with GLSC.