Stakeholders in the housing, private, banking and other sectors met on Friday to give input on the guidelines of the draft National Housing Policy document which will be used as the government’s blueprint for developing the sector.
The document was drafted by CEO at the Central Housing and Planning Authority Myrna Pitt and Dr Coby Frimpong, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. It includes proposals for application for areas of constraints in housing development and seeks to provide guidelines for addressing demographic and housing trends, land management and marketing in Guyana, housing subsidies and the construction sector with emphasis on standards, building codes and the quality of building materials.
Stakeholders had been provided with a copy of the draft a few weeks ago to prepare for Saturday’s meeting.
In leading the discussions, Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali said the goal of the consultation was to find “common ground” on developing the document. However, he said it was drafted in a way that would allow it to be tweaked over time as it is implemented. He said the ministry intends to “implement the policy and all its recommendations so that the housing sector can be protected and sustained and continue to grow.”
“Housing itself has a tremendous effect on the economy,” he said, adding that the most powerful economy in the world had been built and destroyed by the housing sector and this is an important lesson for developing countries like Guyana.
