Premier Reuben Meade has said he is open to discussions with local investors and private landowners that are interested in joining the government’s housing “experiment”.
His announcement came a week after he revealed that a group of investors from Trinidad had visited Montserrat to explore the possibility of building a housing development.
Meade was responding to a question on JB Radio’s ‘What’s On Your Mind’ call-in show on 14 January asking for more details on the project.
“The lands which we’re looking at for this housing development ‘experiment’, which I will call it, is on government land,” he said.
“If there are private lands available, and they wish to make those lands available, we would love to have a discussion with the owners of substantial acreages of private land so that we can expand that programme.”
More investment
Meade added that if there are local investors who are interested in joining the programme, he would be very happy to welcome them.
“But we just have to kick start it by using foreign direct investment so that we can have something done,” he said.
The premier said some of the members of the team from Trinidad will be back on island later this month to carry out further assessments.
“I’m not going to disclose, as yet, exactly where those lands are, but what I can say, they’re in the vicinity of Radio Montserrat [located in Davy Hill],” he said.
The plan focuses on developing one- and two-bedroom units to provide young people with options to buy, rent, or lease, Meade explained.
It aims to retain Montserrat residents while accommodating those who wish to return to the island, he added.
Party plans
In the United Alliance’s 12-page manifesto, launched on 21 August, 2024, the party described its short, medium and long term plans for housing and construction in Montserrat.
In the short term, from zero to one year, the party said it would remove duties on building materials, and review the government’s housing policy to ensure affordable housing is accessible for all residents.
It also promised to identify owners of abandoned residential properties that have fallen into disrepair and develop partnerships for refurbishing these properties to add to the island’s housing stock.
In the medium term, from one to five years, the party said it would refurbish the government’s housing stock.
And in the long term, from five years onward, the party planned to ensure affordable housing remains accessible for all residents.
