Residents to be relocated

Some residents of housing units in the constituency of St. Michael South East are to be relocated.

Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Dwight Sutherland, made the announcement during a Barbados Labour Party branch meeting in that constituency on Sunday.

He said the Government continues its efforts to upgrade the electrical and sewerage systems for hundreds of units.

To date, electrical upgrades have been completed in 1872 units out of 2687, at a cost of five million dollars, while 340 sewerage systems have been repaired.

Mr Sutherland says with this work done, the Government is moving ahead with plans to transfer ownership to tenants under its “20 Year Free Transfer of Units” initiative.

For those units deemed unfit, Mr Sutherland says the tenants will be relocated to Lower Burney, where the Government has acquired 40 acres of land.

He will move a Resolution in Parliament to vest half that land in the National Housing Corporation and the other half in HOPE Inc.

He adds that over 350 homes will be constructed on the plot, half of which will be used to address the challenges in The Pine and nearby areas.