Ile Perseverance Point Condominium project |14 December 2020

Ten families get keys to their new apartments

President Wavel Ramkalawan witnessed the handover of newly completed housing units to 10 families on Saturday morning, as part of the third phase of the Ile Perseverance Point Condominium project.

The Ile Perseverance Point Condominium is located on the northern side of Ile Perseverance, bordering the lagoon facing Ile Aurore.

The 10 two-bedroom apartments are furnished with built-in wardrobes, vanities for the bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, a cooker, washing machine and solar water heaters.

The construction cost of one unit was R2.5 million with GICC – a wholly owned subsidiary of the Islands Development Company (IDC) – selling a three-bedroom apartment to the graduates and young Seychellois professionals at R1.2 million.

Construction on the new block of apartments was completed two months ago in October.

The 10 Seychellois families received the keys to their new homes in a short ceremony attended by the Minister for Land and Housing Billy Rangasamy, the chief executive of IDC, Glenny Savy, the deputy CEO of IDC, Christian Lionnet and other representatives.

The first three-bedroom block of 10 units for graduates and young professional first-time home buyers was handed over to the tenants in August 2018, followed in June 2020 by a second block, also comprising three-bedroom units.

Speaking during the ceremony Mr Savy thanked the Ministry for Land and Housing for its partnership in the project since 2015.

“When we look at a project such as this one, it gives us a sense of accomplishment as we are accompanying young professionals on their journey to obtain their own house. This project demonstrates our commitment to the community and highlights our engagement towards social responsibility,” said Mr Savy.

He continued by adding that due to the economic reality brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, GICC will be reviewing the project to analyse the next step it will take.

For the moment construction of condominiums has halted.

The CEO also called upon the tenants to be good neighbours as there have been some noise complaints.

Following the presentation of keys, President Ramkalawan was given a tour of the completed condo as well as the luxury condo which has been placed on the open market for over R5 million to subsidise the cost of the apartments for graduates.

Following his visit, President Ramkalawan stated that the quality of the condominium is of a high standard and tenants seem to be very satisfied.

“The project is a good initiative and once it’s completed many young professionals and their families will benefit from it and the government will continue to encourage these types of projects,” he said.

He continued by noting that it will be good to have a similar project on Ile Aurore facing Ile Perseverance so as to maximise the space and make good use of the view.

Speaking to the press Minister Rangasamy noted that his ministry will consider making buildings that have six storeys in the future as it is important to maximise the limited amount of space we have.

“Buildable land costs quite a bit of money so it is important that we maximise it where it is possible as well,” the minister said.

He also noted that construction will soon go vertically on the hillside as the government has exhausted the space it had on flat land.

Mr Lionnet also added that they are selling a unit for R1.5 million although the construction cost is over R2 million.

The luxury units were supposed to subsidise this cost, however they are not selling as expected. Even with this slight set back, Mr Lionnet noted that they will keep building the luxury condos.

One hundred Seychellois families are expected to benefit from this project once it’s completed.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the handover ceremony as well as President Ramkalawan and guests touring the new apartments and interacting with tenants.

Christophe Zialor

Photos: Jude Morel