Foundation stone laid for Mont Buxton’s biggest ever housing project |17 January 2015

The foundation stone for the biggest housing project in Mont Buxton was laid yesterday by the Minister for Land Use and Habitat Christian Lionnet and the district’s administrator Michelle Sabury.

The project is being done on the ex-Dominic Savio school or as many know it as the ex-Bel Eau annex school.

The foundation stone was laid in the presence of the Minister for Social Affairs, Community Development and Sports Vincent Meriton; the principal secretary for Land Use & Habitat Joseph Francois; the principal secretary for Policy Planning and Implementation in the Ministry of Land Use and Habitat (MLUH) Yves Choppy, the district’s member of the National Assembly Sheryl Vangadasamy, other officials of MLUH and of community development and the district’s inhabitants.

The project will cost about R23m with R9m from this year’s national budget and the rest in next year’s budget.
The 36-unit housing project, which will benefit the same number of families, is being financed entirely by the government of Seychelles.

“This housing project continues to reflect the government’s commitment to improving the living standard of its people, especially the most vulnerable ones of our society. So the Mont Buxton residents will get its fair share this year,” said PS François in his speech for the occasion.

He said since the Third Republic, the government of Seychelles has constructed more than 5,000 housing units and Mont Buxton has benefitted from 136 units during that period. For the last seven years there has not been any major housing project in the district. The last project for that district was 44 units which were completed in 2008 –  12 two-bedroom units at ex-Haines higher up in Belonie in March; 16 two-bedroom units at Mont Signal in August and 16 two and three-bedroom units at Hangard Street in December.

Referring to the Home Savings Scheme (HSS), PS François said more than 60% of families in Mont Buxton contributing towards the HSS are waiting for a three-bedroom house.

“Therefore this housing project here at ex-Dominic Savio has taken this into consideration and 28 from the 36 units are three-bedroom houses and only eight are two-bedroom. This will help the district a lot as last year the district got only four three-bedroom houses in a total of thirteen,” said PS François.

DA Sabury also noted that this is the biggest housing project in the district and thanked the government of Seychelles for allowing Mont Buxton to benefit from such a project.

MNA Vangadasamy said today’s modernity should be at everyone’s reach, referring to the new housing project and the reconstruction of a new school at La Rosière which will begin soon. La Rosière school also falls in the Mont Buxton district.

She urged all to do their part and contribute towards the HSS and to all give a hand in bringing about a new Mont Buxton district.

The housing project, which has been awarded to contractor ONIVO Construction, will take about eight months to complete if everything goes according to plan.