July 5th, 2009 …. Minister of Agriculture Lands, Housing & The Environment Hilson Baptiste has given his blessing to another residential development, completing phase 1 of ten townhouses/condominiums at St Clair Court that was put on the market.

Saturday afternoon, the developer, GEOTECH Company Limited opened the properties for viewing to the general public.

Individuals from the banking industry were on site guiding prospective buyers on how to secure financing for the townhouses.

Baptiste said the completion of the 10 townhouses would go along way as the government seeks to satisfy the country’s housing need which currently stands at 5,000.

It was on that note; he said the government would be working closer with GEOTECH Limited in the future for developmental purposes. “I support this imitative and I hope the next stage will not take so long. The government wants to be involved with GEOTECH, we wants to make sure that we do our best to reduce the final cost of these houses of over $300,000 per unit, which is not a very bad price.”

Baptiste explained that government could play a role in the reduction of the prices by looking at the ABST and the granting of other concessions on building material to assist local persons in owing their homes.

“We believe that 2009 is our year, so we want to see housing projects starting so that in the next five years we would meet approximately 50-percent of our housing needs,” said Baptiste.

Parliamentary Representative for All Saints West Chanlah Codrington and Jr. Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & the Environment was also at the viewing. He spoke to the issues of infrastructure and the land use policy. “I want to commend GEOTECH for the continuing expansion especially in housing at this time where our economy is on the downturn…Infrastructure development is also commendable for St Clair Courts,” he noted that homeowners have had problem in the past with developers who have swindled them out of their fair share infrastructure development.”

Codrington said, he is pleased that the developers followed the necessary guidelines, because as the parliamentary representative and Jr. Minister of housing he would be on the firing line.

On the matter of land use policy, he noted that GEOTECH is going vertical to conserve on the scarce land mass, and that is one idea that would be looked at or adopted for the land use policy.

Carol Brown, Marketing Manager of BBB Advertising, the company contracted for public relations said the homes are ideal for single parents and young couples just getting married. “It is a sense of security living in a community like this. There are some good homeowners at St Clair Court and an association would be formed to develop the community.

General Manager, Arthur Bostic of Geotech Company Limited, Civil Engineers & Contractor is conducting the development said plans are afoot for further development in the area.

Dorothy Gittens Looby, Chairman of GIETECH was also on site.