Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Minister of Water and Housing Dr. Horace Chang says the construction of houses by the National Housing Trust (NHT) -to address the accommodation needs in the parish of Hanover - will get under way this financial year.

"We are looking at the proposals. It is among the proposals the NHT is putting up for funding for this year's budget. Houses for Hanoverians are at the top of the priority list," Dr. Chang said.

He added, however, that he was unsure of the total number of units to be constructed and whether those units originally earmarked for construction on 1,203 acres of land at Point Estate, adjacent to the Fiesta hotel site near Lucea, would still be constructed at that location.

"Whether they will be built exactly there (Point Estate) or not, I don't know. It is up to the engineers to look at the whole area. What I don't know is if all 2,000 will start this year, but that is the kind of numbers we are looking at for Hanover," he told The Gleaner on the weekend.

Meeting requirements

The most recent formal survey, commissioned by the NHT in 2002, revealed that 6,000 persons - or just fewer than 10 per cent of Hanover's population of 67,000 - required housing. But only 1,800 met the NHT's requirements or were qualified contributors.

The NHT also said at the time that, if significant investment came to the parish, raising the income level of Hanoverians, most of the people would "be in a better position to afford housing". The last NHT housing scheme built in the parish was more than two decades ago.

In October 2005, NHT Managing Director Earl Samuels said the organisation would be moving with "some urgency to tackle the housing needs in the parish of Hanover", especially in light of the new hotel developments taking place in the community.