Minister in the ministry of Housing Phillip Alexander is defending the Government’s decision to investigate stalled and completed Housing Development Corporation projects before moving ahead with construction.
During a site visit, Alexander accused the former PNM administration of leaving the HDC with billions of dollars in liabilities and projects he says now require investigation, repairs or demolition.
He also questioned the quality of construction at several developments.
Housing Minister Phillip Alexander says the Government is taking a closer look at stalled HDC projects before deciding which can be completed.
He was speaking during a visit to a townhouse development where a structural assessment identified concerns with the construction and soil conditions.
“The structural assessment shows significant evidence of soil settlement issues manifested throughout the type and frequency of the cracking of the masonry structural shear walls throughout the townhouse blocks. The structural assessment revealed that the townhouse blocks, at least in the exposed area, were not constructed in accordance with the structural drawings, and the construction practices and techniques implemented on site are not in keeping with acceptable industry standards.”
Senator Alexander says the assessment also raised concerns about the buildings’ ability to withstand seismic and wind events.
He says demolishing failed projects comes at a significant cost, but argues identifying problems before completion can reduce the financial impact on taxpayers.
“There would be a cost, but the cost to the taxpayers to identify this before it’s completed is a lot less than to complete it like at Las Alturas and then have to go and throw it down. There is a multi-million-dollar cost to demolishing this, you know. This has to be demolished. This is valuable housing land that is not available to the Housing Development Corporation because these derelict townhouses are still occupying the space.”
Senator Alexander also criticised the management and oversight of the HDC under the previous administration, while saying the current board is reviewing projects and housing complaints.
He says the Government intends to address problems affecting existing homeowners as well as unfinished developments.
“The problem with the Housing Development Corporation was a lack of leadership, a lack of management, and a lack of oversight. That is the problem. That’s the problem here. A project couldn’t get this far if you had oversight. If people were reporting to management and management was reporting to the board, and the board was reporting and information was being shared with ministers, people would have been paying attention to what was going on.”
He says all projects currently under investigation will be assessed to determine whether they can be completed, repaired or require demolition.