THA Wants Share of Housing Loan From Central Government

Secretary of Settlements and Labour,
Assemblyman Huey Cadette.

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) wants a share of any housing loan acquired by government and to have the opportunity to finance off budget funding for housing projects in Tobago. These are some of the issues raised at a recent meeting between Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and THA Secretary of Settlements and Labour Assemblyman Huey Cadette.

Cadette told Wednesday's post Executive Council media briefing that the issues will be part of a memorandum of understanding now being drafted by technocrats of the ministry and his division.

The THA is currently on a $140 million housing thrust using funds from its savings and part of its parliamentary allocation and was hoping to share in the US$50 million housing loan the central government recently obtained from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).

He said the loan was for squatter regularisation, improvement of the housing stock, capacity building and institutional strengthening. However, he added, the Assembly wanted part of the loan for capacity building, support for its housing grants programme and for equipment and technical support for the implementation of the housing programme.

Cadette said funding for a Tobago housing programme should come from off budget sources and the Ministry of Finance had committed itself to develop a position paper with recommendations on this and also identify sources of funding available to the Assembly when approval was granted to it to obtain loans.

The housing programme was being project managed by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) whose CEO Jearlean John was present at the meeting and MTS.

He said the meeting also discussed the need to have a level of stringent oversight on its housing projects to ensure the timely delivery of units with the quality required. He said a joint team will be appointed to address long outstanding issues dating back to the former national housing authority including leases and mortgage payments.

The THA's $140 million housing thrust includes the construction of 239 units at Adventure Phase II that will have Town Houses, Duplexes, Apartment Buildings and some single units; the development of 200 service lots at the THA-acquired Courland Estate, 50 service lots at Belle Garden Phase II and 60 service lots at Adelphi Estate.

Source:THAnews

THA Building More Houses in Tobago

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will resume its housing programme next week, Settlements and Labour Secretary Godwin Adams disclosed on Wednesday. (7th November 2012)

Adams said the programme will include the construction of town houses, duplexes and apartment buildings at Adventure in northwest Tobago. He said construction will begin next week on 40 town houses by three Tobago "born and bred" contractors over a ten-month period. They are Parks International Company Limited, Carl Rodney Construction and A M Transport and Construction. He said these units were estimated to cost $32M while a second phase will begin next month.

Adams said he wanted to made it absolutely clear that the Assembly had contracted state-owned HDC to project manage the programme which will be funded from the THA budget.

The Assembly has already constructed and distributed 74 single dwelling units costing approximately $22M at Adventure.

Adams also disclosed that E-IDCOT which was established by the THA as a special purpose company has been contracted to project managed work on 55 service lots at Belle Garden in east Tobago over the next ten months. The work will be done by Kalanji Transport and Construction.

He further added that 120 service lots will be developed on the Courland Estate starting within the next three weeks while in a second phase at Courland will see the construction of town houses, duplexes and apartment buildings.

Adams said the Assembly will continue to pursue its housing programme to provide affordable housing for citizens of Tobago.

He said the Assembly spent $5M last year and has budgeted another $5M under its home improvement programme to assist Tobagonians in the maintenance of their houses. He added that over 400 families had benefitted from the home improvement grant, the home improvement subsidy and the home completion grant.

reproduced from THA site