NATION NEWS
Pine units ready after 2 years
Published on: 11/5/05.

SOME Barbadians deprived of housing will soon be turning the keys to one of the six three-bedroom Government units which were contructed at the Pine, St Michael, more than two years ago, but had remained vacant.

Deputy general manager of the National Housing Corporation (NHC) George Edghill, in response to questions from the SATURDAY SUN about allegations that the units had been built without Town and Country Planning approval, sought to clarify the situation.

The issues which the NHC encountered had been ironed out and the units had been allocated to prospective tenants, he said.

He also pointed out that as a precautionary measure, a decision was made to hold the units as interim housing for residents of Pickwick Gap who had to be relocated to facilitate the upgrade of Kensington Oval in time for World Cup 2007 if the
Barbarees Gardens project was not completed in time.

Last Tuesday, the Pickwick residents were handed their keys by Housing Minister Elizabeth Thompson-MCDowald.

"There is nothing wrong with the units . . . . Now that the residents of Pickwick Gap had been located, you will start to see some movement in those units shortly," said Edghill. (JW)