Prime Minister King urges private sector involvement in housing development

Friday, April 23, 2010 – Minister for Finance Hon. Stephenson King, says the government of Saint Lucia intends to encourage greater involvement of the private sector, including the financial services providers, contractors, land owners and developers, in generating employment in the construction sector through housing development.

Speaking on the subject of housing expansion and development during his budget presentation, the Prime Minister said the provision of affordable public housing to all classes of the society is a basic social need.

“The failure to provide adequate shelter in the form of public and private sector housing to the populace, creates a chain reaction that inevitably leads to deprivation and ensuing social tension. This is evidenced by crime and other deviant behaviour. It has long been established that there is a correlation between social cohesion and poor and sub-standard housing conditions and /or the limited supply of housing relative to demand.”

The Prime Minister said government will continue to initiate programmes that will benefit middle to low income families. However, he said it must be noted, that government will not seek to acquire lands for housing, but rather facilitate the enabling environment, by removing transaction costs, providing design, survey, and infrastructure services.

“The government continues to support initiatives geared at providing affordable housing for middle to low income families. Government will continue its PROUD programme of land tenure rationalisation and community infrastructure upgrading. The government is seeking to raise an additional $EC 11 million from the Caribbean Development Bank, in support of this initiative. Similarly, government will continue the shelter development programme, with an allocation of $EC2.1 million.

This year, government will begin the process of the relevant demographic and community profiling surveys, to inform the design of appropriate rationalisation programmes for community upgrading of Crown and NDC lands. The prime minister also reiterated his government’s commitment to embracing new ‘green measures’ that reflect international best practices in the acquisition and use of land for housing.

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