May 19, 2017: The former squatting community of Jacob Hill, Wallerfield is to become Wallerfield Gardens and the eligible residents are to be given deeds of lease to their housing lots.
MP for La Horquetta/Talparo, the Honourable Maxie Cuffie, Minister of Public Administration and Communications, made the announcement on Wednesday May 17 as he accompanied Land Settlement Agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Hazar Hosein and a team from the LSA to the Jacob Hill Recreation Ground to prepare the community for the upgrade works which will be taking place as the LSA prepares to upgrade the infrastructure.
Hosein told the homeowners, many of whom held Certificates of Comfort, that in order for them to be given deeds of lease, the site needed to have proper drainage, fire hydrants, roads and an adequate water infrastructure. A project to install these elements was scheduled to begin on June 1st and would last for four months after which the LSA would be able to approach the Statutory Approving Bodies including the Drainage Department, WASA, Fire Services and the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation for approval for the development. Once approval is received, the eligible residents would be offered deeds to their property.
Hosein said the Wallerfield community, which included 349 lots spread across three areas was the first among 14 sites across the country where the squatter reqularisation project for corrective works will take place. This project is funded under an Inter-American Development Bank loan of US$40M and $10M counterpart funding from the Government which expires in 2017.
Cuffie told the residents the development was an undertaking given by Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley when he was Minister of Housing from 2004 to 2007and that Dr. Rowley had expressed surprise when he had walked the area with him in 2015, that the development works were not completed.
The Minister of Public Administration and Communications said he was truly pleased that the constituency of La Horquetta/Talparo was chosen as the first site to start these works and that the planned improvement meant that eligible residents were being given title to the land which they could now pass on to their children as a source of wealth since it meant they now could secure mortgages and loans based on their properties.
He appealed to them to ensure that there would be no disruption to the works which would also bring employment to the community since he wanted to ensure that the small contractors chosen through the tendering process would be able to work unimpeded. He also announced that a process for the name change for the community known as Jacob Hill, named after a convicted murderer, had begun.
Councillor for Wallerfield/La Horquetta, Josan Moses who also spoke at the ceremony, said after a survey of the residents, Wallerfield Gardens was chosen as the preferred name and the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation had already begun the process which will ultimately lead to the renaming of the community.
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For further information please contact:
The Government Communications Unit
Ministry of Public Administration and Communications
868-625-6111