WITHIN THE NEXT three years, certain communities within The City should receive major upgrades.
Member of Parliament for The City Patrick Todd said land surveyors were on the ground in areas such as Hutson Alley and Mason Hall Street, Bridgetown, ahead of development.
Development
“This is part of the catchement of Cat’s Castle, which is earmarked for massive infrastructural development as part of the Inter-American Development Bank-funded housing and neighbourhood upgrading programme,” he said.
Todd, who is also Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing, was speaking yesterday during the relocation of elderly resident Dorothy Henry, who had been living in substandard conditions.
He said Government had signed the multi-million dollar loan agreement and they were working “assiduously” to ensure the “conditionalities” were “adhered to” as the funds had to be “drawn down” within a certain time period.
“Currently, land surveyors, engineers and architects are in the process of doing the designs and we are looking to have this project completed within this term of this administration,” he said.
Todd said areas such as Greenfield, The City would also be “rehabilitated” as well as Garden Land, St Michael, and Alleyneview, St Thomas.
He said the work would include replacing pit toilets with indoor bathrooms, improving the road network and drainage, and access to emergency vehicles.
“This administration is making it a priority to improve the living conditions of working-class Barbadians in areas such as Cat’s Castle. This project is a pilot which can give rise to similar facilities which can then be taken to other working-class districts,” he said.
However, some residents were less than convinced. Sonia Wharton said they have been getting promises since the Barbados Labour Party was in power when Dame Billie Miller represented The City.
“This place should be beautified; it is too close to Bridgetown to look like this. We live in the dump but nothing is being done for The City people,” she said.
Wharton said they had problems with flooding, bush, rodents, snails and access.
“The roads here are a disgrace [and] the rats confusing we [too]. It is not fair.
Too long out here was to ‘do’ but up to now nothing had been done.
“There are too many old people out here with pit toilets. Them does only come when they want an ‘X’; no, you have to come and see the people all the time,” she said.
As for the relocation, Minister of Housing Michael Lashley said they had realised the “extremely deplorable” conditions Henry had been living in during a tour on Friday and decided to take immediate action.
“We’ve relocated her and will now look to the welfare service to assist her to accelerate a better quality of life for her.
“It is a start of a programme for pensioners and the needy who need proper housing,” he said.
Todd urged other Barbadians in dire need not to be too proud to ask Government for help and urged anyone who knew of such people to come forward.
