Government is promising Barbadians residing in Bridgetown and its environs that there will be a major improvement in their living conditions.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn announced yesterday that Government will borrow $68.4 million from the Saudi Fund For Development to finance Phase 1 of the Urban Renewal Project In The Water, Housing and Infrastructure Sectors in The City.
“The purpose is to improve and revitalise housing and neighbourhood conditions for low income communities in the Bridgetown area, as part of how we will able to build resilience and greater climate resilience in the community,” the minister said, leading off debate in the House of Assembly on a resolution under the Special Loans Act for Parliament to approve the loan.
“It will also contribute to providing additional affordable housing solutions for those families, and there is a third component that speaks to how . . . you strengthen the Rural and Urban Development Commission, such that the work that it is already doing, that it can actually help deliver the works in a much more efficient and seamless manner, in a way that allows us then to be able to execute and respond to our citizens.”
“The first phase [is] providing appropriate infrastructure and social facilities in the Chapman Lane area and its suburbs which lie between President Kennedy Drive, Westbury Road, Baxter’s Road, Tudor Street, Princess Alice Highway and Prescod Boulevard.
“The residential housing development that we anticipate will take place from engaging this particular loan this afternoon [includes] construction of and connection to the sewage treatment system in the Bridgetown area, constructing sewage tanks and connecting them to the local sewage system, upgrading the low and middle income residential houses, including retrofitting homes to be able to withstand hurricanes and other climate adaptation solutions that may be warranted.”
Straughn said there would also be an upgrading of sanitary facilities for Bridgetown residents.
“Within parts of urban Barbados, there are still a number of homes that still utilise pit toilets and part of the upgrades that we anticipate part of this will be able to finally put to rest the issue of pit toilets in this country, and to be able to also install personal water tanks, with small pumps and batteries for power outages,” he said.
The loan will be over 20 years with a five-year grace period, has an annual interest rate of 3.5 per cent and will include natural disaster clauses.
Straughn said that after Chapman Lane and neighbouring areas, “then we will move around to the Halls Road side, and then further up to the Bayland”.
He told Bridgetown residents, private interest, landlords, property owners that “there will be disruption in these neighbourhoods as the improvements set in [but] you really cannot get the improved quality of life without some level of disruption, positive disruption in this case”.
“And, therefore, I urge, at the outset, patience and, of course, there will be a lot of dust and things about the way, but at the end of it, we hope that we are able to see a much more not just climate resilient communities across Barbados, but much more financial resilient communities and communities that are closely knit with respect to accessing better facilities for social activities, as well as more comfortable housing as well within that,” he said.
Straughn said Government would have been more advanced with its urban renewal efforts had the former administration not cancelled an $80 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.
This funding was intended to improve the same communities, now to be upgraded under the new project financed by the Saudi Fund For Development. (SC)
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