NHC heeds the call for low and middle income housing
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Contact: Julita Peter
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 – The Saint Lucia National Housing Corporation (NHC) is already beginning to make inroads into its packed agenda for 2008. Following the unveiling of the Marigot Housing Development Pilot Project, which when completed will make available 116 units, the Corporation was recently able to acquire another 80 acres of land in the immediate Marigot vicinity, extending the project.
This new phase will see the construction of 240 homes (two and three bedroom units) catering for middle and low income earners. The project is expected to significantly enhance the Marigot community and by extension the Roseau valley— previously an agricultural belt.
The design for the project, according to NHC Chairman Michael Flood, is currently being done by the NHC's Technical Department, while another development in Anse-La-Raye gets set for a 2008 launch..
“NH International of Trinidad and Tobago will undertake the Anse-La-Raye development. That development is a very big one, I must say, and it consists of 256 low income units and 191 middle income ones. Added to that, we believe that because of the location of that development, we have added 18 high income units. These are units we will be able to sell for five to six hundred thousand dollars,” Mr. Flood Said.
The NHC Chairman said the Corporation's aim is to provide as many low and middle income houses as it can, for Saint Lucians. Local financial institutions, he said have indicated their support and in some cases are offering one hundred percent financing.
“All our project are duty free projects and what we have tried to do is to ensure that our units do not go past the reach of especially the young civil servants who are trying to own a piece of the pie. Our units especially in Marigot will start as low as 142 thousand dollars for house and land. Just imagine!” he exclaimed.
The National Housing Corporation recently invited applications for available land in a development in Monchy, in the island’s north. The 90 available land only packages are being sold at $8.00 a square foot.
“There are so many requests from Saint Lucians for land only. We thought that since it is not such a huge development, we would use that area for those who are in need of land and we will concentrate on the other areas for land and house development. So within weeks of applying, one will be able to get the relevant documents to go to financial institutions and be able to purchase the property,” said the NHC Chairman.
Plans are well underway for yet another project in Choiseul, which will consist of approximately 230 units, catering for low and middle income earners. |
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