–works to pave the way for 500 allottees to begin construction of their houses

THE Experiment Housing Scheme at Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is benefitting from a $455.6 million effort to improve the requisite infrastructure for more than 500 allottees to begin construction of their houses.

During a recent visit to the community, Minister of Housing, Collin Croal, inspected ongoing works, and, according to the government’s Department of Public Information, four contractors are currently working on the project to execute land clearing, construction of roads, bridges and drainage.

The department quoted Minister Croal as saying that the project did face a slight delay, owing to access to the reef sand.
“…but we have met all the contractors and we worked out a timeline and so, allottees here awaiting at Experiment can rest assured that, by the end of this year, they will be able to access the facility,” Croal said.

According to the DPI report, construction works are ongoing on a major bridge that will allow access into the area earmarked for residential and commercial housing. Another major access road has been cleared, and contractors are on the ground completing the land clearing.
Minister Croal was further quoted as assuring Region Five residents that the government is accelerating its housing development drive for them to ensure every person awaiting a house lot receives one.

“Persons have been asking [they haven’t been seeing much] what is happening for housing in Region Five. We are off the main road, but if you come down here then you will see the amount of development that is taking place,” he said.

Further, he said the Housing and Water Ministry was seeking to identify additional lands for future housing developments within the region.
To this end, the ministry is negotiating with the Mahaica, Mahaicony Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), to explore the possibility of accessing new lands for future housing allocation, according to DPI.

As a consequence, the government is investing $12 billion in infrastructural development in 22 new and existing housing schemes across the country.

These are: Little Diamond/Great Diamond, Prospect and Providence, East Bank Demerara; Cummings Lodge, Mon Repos, Vigilance, Bladen Hall and Strathspey, East Coast Demerara; Experiment in Region Five and No 79 Village, Ordinance Fortland and Hampshire/Williamsburg in Region Six.

The ongoing works, according to the information department, paves the way for the administration to achieve its target of distributing 10,000 lots during its first year in office and an overall 50,000 lots in five years.