Linden/Soesdyke Highway targeted for housing development

A panaramic view of Linden Soesdyke Highway, Guyana. The Bauxite factory is in the background.

The Housing Ministry is working relentlessly to process housing applications for Regions Three and Four, as these are the only two regions where the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is bogged down.

High Demand
At present, there are approximately active 33,000 applications in the system for these two regions, many of which would have been made in 2010 to 2012. In the other regions especially Two and Five, houselot applications are being processed at real time or year to date basis.
Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali explained that today, people are less patient in this regard than they were 10 years ago as many who applied in 2011 believed that they are in the system for a long time. A public notice has been issued informing those who have applied before 2006 and have received their acknowledgement letter before said year, to visit the Ministry to receive their allocations.
“As far as we are concerned, all applicants before 2006 should be completed. If you have applied before and you have refused the allocation then that’s a different story,” Minister Ali explained.

New Target Area
It is impossible for the Ministry to allocate houselots to everyone in the area of their choice. There is a high demand for lots on the East Coast of Demerara; however, there is not enough land available in this area for housing development to meet this demand.
Minister Ali stated that his Ministry is working on the last tranche of development on the coastline. In the next two years, all available opportunities to expand housing would be exhausted.
In this regard, the Ministry is looking at its next target area, which is the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway.

Income
All of the lots are highly subsidised by the Government and the lot that is allocated to an applicant is determined by the information stated in the application. In some instances, people compromise this process by providing misleading information with regards to their income.
“Your income plays an important role in determining which category you fall under. Many young people would complain, but they have to understand that the system is designed to give benefit to low income earners,” Minister Ali indicated.
In light of this, a person with a child earning a salary of $60,000 below the age of 21years will stand to benefit more than another person without a child but working for a similar salary.
The Ministry has witnessed an influx of applicants between the ages of 21-35 years. As such, it has established a number of partnerships with the services sector and professional groups to meet the needs of this target group in a more structured manner. This would not only see the allocation of houselots, but also bring within reach, the dream of homeownership.