By Suelika N. Buchanan
(Basseterre; St. Kitts): Cabinet recently announced that the special land distribution initiative programme that is designed to empower 5000 citizens through land ownership will be launched this coming Friday, August 17.
The land distribution programme identifies 618 acres of former sugar lands for the creation of residential lots 4000 to 9000 square feet in size for citizens of the Federation.
According to a recent Post Cabinet Meeting Statement a total of 25 locations around the island of St. Kitts have been identified where these lots are located.
The launch will begin at 3 p.m. at The Circus and will have eight of the 25 areas readily available while 17 areas will become available over the ensuing weeks.
The 8 areas that will immediately become available are in Buckleys, Molineux, Shadwell, St. Pauls, Cayon, Sandy Point, Verchilds and Taylors.
This special land initiative is one of several initiatives that the government has used over the last decade to empower citizens by making them landowners. It is designed for those persons who have been saving to buy land – or are interested in arranging manageable monthly payments spread over a few years, with a credit union or bank. It is also designed for persons who are ready to build and who have not been able to do so because they have not had any land. ~~Adz:Right~~
Minister Nigel Carty said, “An applicant under this special land distribution initiative, who is expected to be 18 years or older, will have his or her application satisfied within one month if the area for which the application is made is one of the 8 active areas cited above. Applications made in respect of the other 17 areas will take a little longer time but no more than one month when those areas become active as well.”
Application forms for the special land initiative will become available at the launch and more forms will also become available at the Department of Lands and Surveys near the NHC complex on East Park Range in Basseterre and at the Ministry of Sustainable Development, 2nd Floor, Ministry of Finance Building, on Church Street.
The NHC land distribution programme will continue to operate as an improved programme alongside this new special land distribution programme. It will continue to cater to persons of the lower income brackets who would need softer terms to be able to acquire land for residential purposes.
These two land distribution programmes, that is, the Special land Distribution programme and the revised NHC programme, are designed to cater to persons of differing circumstances and to cover every individual regardless of his or her economic circumstances.
