CONSTRUCTION OF 33 low-income housing solutions is set to begin in St Philip next month.

This was revealed by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance David Thompson as he delivered his Budgetary Proposals in the House of Assembly yesterday.

As he dealt with a Democratic Labour Party election promise to provide housing solutions for low income Barbadians, the Prime Minister said Government had already identified 500 lots in existing tenantries and would be offering them for sale, to first-time home owners, at $5 per square foot.

Out of those lots, 185 belong to the National Housing Corporation (NHC) and tenders for the construction of two- and three-bedroom houses were published in Sunday's newspapers.

August 1 start

"Construction is proposed to start on August 1 in Marchfield, St Philip," he said.

There were also 51 lots in Greens, St George; 44 at Workhall, St Philip; 40 at Four Hill, St. Peter; 33 at Marchfield, St. Philip, and 17 at French Village, St Peter, with those at Marchfield and French Village being built by small contractors under the Government Procurement Programme for Small Enterprises.

The Prime Minister further promised to restore the NHC to its role as the provider of low-income housing.

"It is this Government's intention to ensure the NHC facilitates 2 000 solutions every year and we will give it the financial liquidity to do the job," he stressed. (HLE)