The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TRANSPORT and Housing Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis has suggested it is unlikely the Davis administration will go forward with the affordable homes project in Prospect Ridge, though she said Cabinet has yet to make a final decision.

Mrs Coleby-Davis said studies, including a feasibility study, a topography study and a master plan were not done even as former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis touted the project and opened it up for applications before his administration was voted out of office.

“Our team has provided a full briefing to the Cabinet,” Mrs Coleby-Davis said. “We gave a briefing to Cabinet and we’re just waiting for them to give a final response. I would say from my tech team, they have recommended that we leave it alone and move elsewhere and so what they’ve been doing is they have a serious, intense programme on finding other areas of land that we can build on and they have beautiful designs, beautiful models.

“We’re going to be providing a lot of housing to Bahamians, young professionals or old professionals or whoever is able to quality. I can assure the public that we will be providing other housing options and I’m not sure that Prospect will be on my agenda.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis could not say whether the administration will introduce an affordable home programme that offers lots in western New Providence, though she said that cannot be ruled out. She said at the moment, officials will look at government owned land first because it will be cheaper.

Last year, Mrs Coleby-Davis said her ministry was planning a final briefing paper to present to Cabinet. However, although the matter has attracted the attention of many, she said it is unlikely the briefing paper will be shared with the public.

“That was for Cabinet, that was requested by the Prime Minister so that was specific to Cabinet,” she said.

As for people who have applied for the project, she said: “Their applications are still on file and obviously they’ve been approved for various amounts and, like I said, we’re offering an expansive amount of homes across New Providence and options are beautiful, the models are beautiful and I am quite certain they will be very happy to start their families or grow their lives or make their first single largest investment in any of the homes that are offered. And so I don’t want anyone to get discouraged, but (what) I do want to do is make sure that I properly place you in a home and you will be proud of, that you will be able to brag about.

“I don’t want issues where infrastructure really wasn’t taken into consideration and people have a mountain of problems and we don’t have a long warranty so once a warranty runs out the cost is so great on the purchase. So it’s important for me because, like I said, I’m young, me and my husband did this on our own, we did not go through an affordable programme and it was stressful and it cost us so much, so for me it is important that as a young person having this seat at the table that I look at what I suffered and provide a better response, not just throw something out there for throwing something out there sake.”