President Michel’s visit to Mont Buxton-Efforts on to find more land for housing |11 September 2007

This was said on Saturday by the Minister for National Development Jacquelin Dugasse after he had accompanied President James Michel on his visit to the Mont Buxton district to see how work was progressing on various projects, namely those related to housing.

Among the housing projects that the delegation visited on Saturday included one at Mont Signal where construction work on a 16-unit block of two-bedroom flats is at an advanced stage and another at Hangard Street where work is in progress to construct a block of 8 three-bedroom units and another block of 8 two-bedroom units.

Both projects are being undertaken by construction company China State and are expected to cost the government around R9.8 million in total.

Another project which is to begin soon include the construction of 40 units at the site of the former Bel Eau Annexe school (ex-Dominic Savio) at Belonie.

Noting that some 86 out of the 350 applicants on the district’s housing list are expected to be assisted within the next two years from these and other projects, Minister Dugasse said there was a need for the government in collaboration with the district’s authorities to find more suitable land for housing development to assist the remaining 260 or so applicants on the list.

Minister Dugasse said that since land suitable for housing in the Mont Buxton district is scarce, his ministry in collaboration with the district’s authorities are engaged in negotiations with landowners in the district for them to sell their land to government which will be eventually used for housing development.

Alternatively, the government will try and find ways to assist these landowners with various facilities such as loan schemes or by building access roads to these lands so that they can build their own houses.

In his interview on Saturday the President had remarked that many landowners, especially in the area of Dan Lenn, were unable to develop their land for housing or other purposes because of an absence of access roads.

Among other people who accompanied President Michel on his visit on Saturday were top officials from housing and the Land Transport Division, as well as the district’s elected Member of the National Assembly Michel Marie.