BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PROSPECTIVE homeowners and small businesspersons in Old Road and neighbouring communities are set to benefit from the development of three new projects in the Wingfield area.
The latest Post-Cabinet briefing (dated May 27) revealed that the body has approved immediate construction of two residential developments and one commercial development. It further informed that over 67 house lots and a significant number of commercial lots have been made available to residents of Old Road and neighbouring communities.
It reads, “The first project, the Wingfield Heights Housing Development Extension, is a low-income housing development with 43 housing lots measuring between 4 000 and 5 000 square feet each. The second project, a middle-income development, is called the Wingfield View Housing Development consisting of 24 housing lots each measuring about 10 000 square feet.
“The third development is a commercial development consisting of a number of commercial lots ranging from 14 000 to 27 000 square feet for young business people in the Old Road area.”
The ruling St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has boasted of a stellar record in housing, with claims that over 2 500 homes have been constructed during its 14-year tenure. With the launch of the Special Land Distribution Initiative in 2007 and the recent establishment of the National Land Sales Agency, it is anticipated that the rapid pace of home development will be sustained.
SKNVibes contacted Minister of State with responsibility for Information, the Hon. Nigel Carty, who confirmed the development activity and noted it was compatible with the government’s thrust of empowerment through home ownership. He stressed that while land distribution was an important part of policy agenda, the government was even more committed to ensuring people make effective use of their land.
“The government is focused on transitioning people from simply being landowners to being homeowners as well. It is a critical concern for us because we realised it wasn’t enough to just give people land as sometimes they just let it lie there and do nothing with it.
“Owning a home is more empowering than owning land. That’s why we will continue to work with partners and financial institutions to facilitate people’s ability to afford their own homes,” said Carty.
