IN its bid to expand the housing sector, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government will construct some 1,200 houses in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) this year, President, Dr Irfaan Ali revealed during his two-day outreach to the region.

During an impromptu visit to the Fort Ordinance Housing Development in Berbice on Thursday night, the President noted that 200 of the low-income houses have been completed and allocated.

“Our intention in this region this year is to build another maybe 1,200 houses across the region. That will see close to maybe 6,000 workers skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled workers in the housing sector alone,” the President asserted.

This development, the President said, has cost almost $2 billion in resources; $800 million in the development of infrastructural works and a further $1 billion for construction of the houses, and resulted in more than 700 persons being directly employed.

The President also highlighted that last year, the government in further advancing its aggressive housing drive countrywide, completed the construction of another 100 two-bedroom, single-flat, low-income houses at Hampshire/Williamsburg, in Berbice.

He also emphasised that the massive transformation will not just be subjected to Regions Three and Four alone, but also Region Six.

More so, earlier in 2022, the government had already allocated a number of the units under the turn-key initiative in Hampshire. Additionally, the investments in Palmyra were also addressed.

A stadium, a hotel, creation of a housing development, the construction of a call centre and a business centre for persons living with disabilities (PWDs), are among the planned infrastructural works that will see well over $10 billion of investments being injected into Palmyra.

Already under construction, the call centre and business centre for PWDs are scheduled to be completed by March this year, while over 700 houses are planned for the housing development, which will include a mix of young professionals, moderate and low-income houses.

Approximately $7 billion is expected to be spent to construct the houses, while another $3 billion is expected to be invested in other infrastructure. And that is only on part of the government’s investment.

The stadium is expected to be completed at least by the end of 2025, and to have a minimum seating capacity of 10,000, with the possibility of a motor-racing track on its outskirts.

The development taking place in Palmyra is part of a public-private sector mix of investments.