Claims of non-availability of lands addressed by Lands Minister

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The ‘Land for Youth’ programme was expanded to the ‘Land Empowerment Programme’ (LEP) (Photo courtesy: CHAPA).
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By Charminae George

[email protected]

Amid claims that lands have not been widely available, Maria Browne, Housing, Lands and Urban Renewal Minister, spoke of the Land for Youth programme that was expanded to be more inclusive.

“We no longer have Land for Youth because we noticed that many individuals would’ve been cut out of this programme, owing to the fact that they are over thirty five years old,” Browne said in Friday’s Parliamentary session.

“So what we have done, we have expanded the program and we have now called it the ‘Land Empowerment Programme’ or LEP, where individuals can get land at the cheapest rate, three dollars per square foot, and we make them available in different areas across Antigua,” she added.

Additionally, Browne aimed to refute the claims about land non-availability via a comparison.

“Just about 300 parcels the UPP…made available in ten years…Under this administration, we have made available over 4,000 to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and we’re going to do another four (thousand), for sure.”

The Land for Youth programme was an initiative facilitated by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHAPA) that provided an avenue for youth between the ages of 18-35 to purchase lands at concessionary prices.

This programme sought to allow individuals within this age range to become landowners and by extension, homeowners.

The Land Empowerment Programme is facilitated by CHAPA, seeking to allow citizens in a low-income bracket to purchase land.

Persons eligible for this programme are those who earn less than EC$3500 per month (individual), or EC$5000 with a co-applicant, and are first-time government land owner/s. This is according to CHAPA’s website.

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