Government is moving to compulsorily acquire a larger portion of land than it had originally agreed to at Colleton, St Lucy, to provide an increased number of housing lots for land-hungry Barbadians.
When the House of Assembly meets today at 10 a.m. following the Easter recess, Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley is expected to move a resolution to compulsorily acquire 39 896 square metres of land at Colleton – just over 31 000 square metres more than it had sought two years ago.
On February 26, 2009, the Cabinet had agreed to the acquisition of 8 491 square metres of land at?Colleton, owned by?Fairfield Investments Limited, to provide 20 lots for residential housing under the Housing?Every Last?Person (H.E.L.P.) programme.
Eight months later, on October 15, 2009, the Cabinet agreed to rescind the February decision, and also agreed to the acquisition of the additional 31 405 square metres of land from the said Fairfield Investments to provide a greater number of lots – the exact total is not stated in the addendum to the resolution – and to provide for the creation of a buffer zone and the widening of the road.
Lashley is also down to seek approval of a resolution to vest two parcels of Crown lands, totalling 16.4 hectares, at Parish Land, St Philip, in the National?Housing?Corporation for housing development, consequent upon an?October 1, 2009 Cabinet decision.
Also on today’s Order Paper, in the name of Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler, is the Financial Institutions (Amendment and Validation) Bill, providing for an increase in licence fees payable under the Financial Institutions (Fees) Regulations, 1998, and the validation of those licence fees that were paid and collected pursuant to the 2008 Financial?Statement and Budgetary?Proposals.
The amendments shall be deemed to have come into effect from January 1, 2009.
