Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley yesterday heralded the opening of Tamarind Villas in Coverley, Christ Church, calling it a new dimension in Government’s bid to provide affordable housing The project was also hailed by Lashley as an example that joint venture projects between Goverment and private construction companies could work if done the right way. Gladstone Slocombe and girlfriend Tatanya Bailey, along with two-year-old son Kamal, were given a special tour of the project’s first sale, a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house they will call home later this year.Tamarind Villas is the first of 17 community villages that will make up the entire Coverley project. Three hundred houses that form Tamarind Villas are due to be completed by year-end, but when completed by next year, the entire 17-village community will have 1 026 homes.“This is a new dimension when it comes to creating new housing solutions in Barbados,” a beaming Lashley told a standing-room only crowd at the launch, which also included entertainment by calypsonian Mr Dale, songstress Kimberly Inniss, and Dance National Afrique.Noting that a previous joint venture project under a previous administration had encountered numerous problems in 2002, Lashley had immense praise for private company Housing Concepts, which worked with the National Housing Corporation on the Coverley project.“This is a project that you can see, feel, and walk through,” the minister said. “This is for real.”Slocombe, after touring with Lashley and Acting Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, was quite elated at finally having his first home. “I’m very happy today,” he said after the walk-through. “This was a great opportunity, I’m glad I took it. I feel a project like this is perfect for young professionals who want to own their own homes.”The project was officially declared open by the Acting Prime Minister. (BA)
