Vice President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has announced that nearly 11,000 house lots will be made available to residents of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) by the end of next year. He made the announcement during his Public Day at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD), on Friday. Addressing scores of residents gathered at the event, Jagdeo said that nearly 11,000 people in Region Three who are awaiting house lots will be allocated land by the end of next year. He noted that the administration remains committed to clearing the housing backlog across the country, except in Region Four, where the volume of applications is too high to be addressed within the same timeframe.

In Region Four, allocations have only reached applicants who applied in 2020 and 2021, meaning newer applicants may still face a wait of three to four years. Region Three alone has close to 11,000 persons waiting for house lots, Jagdeo said, with the main obstacle being the shortage of available state lands. Much of the new housing development is being concentrated in Wales, where house lots have already been distributed. Jagdeo explained that it costs between $5 million and $7 million to develop a single housing block because the land involved consists of former cane fields that must be excavated, drained and connected by roads. He said developing the outstanding 11,000 house lots by the end of next year will cost billions of dollars, but assured residents that the investment will be made.

Better understanding of housing allocation process