With a high demand for land in Region Four, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) has announced that it has been planning to open as much as approximately 6,000 acres for development. GLSC Commissioner Trevor Benn announced the plans at the agency’s end-of-year press conference on Monday.
Benn explained that the commission is currently in the midst of consultations with several stakeholders and government agencies. A committee has also been established to oversee the planning and development of the area that has been proposed. He noted that while a total of approximately 6,000 acres of public lands in Region Four is under consideration to be opened for development, the preliminary plans aim at an initial 3,000 acres.
Benn did not name the area out of fear that persons might move to lands and begin squatting. The vision for the new development is to create a modern 21st century community. “We have started with the designs. We’re working with various government agencies to get their buy-in and input into what a modern 21st century community should look like. And what we’re hearing and seeing from them is we want to have a community that we don’t have to go back to in 10 years to build new roads,” Benn said, while noting that in the residential section they are envisioning spaces for mini parks and green open spaces. He added that they will also be working to ensure that the land spaces are adequate and provide privacy between neighbours.
“We want it to have adequate size of house lots so persons can have a garden. Also, these house lots that we have been building now have too many conflicts with neighbours. We don’t want that. We want persons to be able to build a decent house and ensure nobody can look into your yard,” Benn said.
Additionally, Benn noted that there is no infrastructure on the lands as yet and the GLSC is moving to seek funding to execute the works required for development. He noted, too, that a cost for the project is not yet determined.
Benn also pointed out that the project will be the first major land development project the GLSC will be embarking upon since the development of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) development in 1980s.
“What we have been doing over the years is land given to you, we take it back if you don’t properly occupy it and we give it to someone else. So it’s an exchange since the 1980s, because we have not opened up new areas. So we have been trying since then to open up land,” he noted.
The works on the prospective lands will be done in phases, beginning with the planned initial 3,000 acres.
Benn also noted that the demand for lands continue to be high as for this year they have received 3,537 applications and to date have processed and approved 849. A total of 489 leases were prepared, the he also said.
