MINISTER for Housing Maciu Nalumisa says they are prioritising affordable housing lots on their developing sites.
He was responding to public concerns claiming that housing lot prices were expensive and that Housing Authority developments were not intended for low-income earners.
“The thing about housing, not all the lots are the same,” Mr Nalumisa said.
“Some lots are worth $30,000 below, some are $40,000, $50,000, depending on the size of the lot.
“So, to say that the lots are expensive, it is not really fair because not all lots have the same price.”
He said the cost of housing lots varied depending on the size of the lot and the development costs of the specific subdivision.
“So, people need to understand that if there is a development happening, it comes with a lot of costs.
“Agencies like Housing Authority, they need to source their own funding for those developments on site.
“But what we are going to do now is to work with Housing Authority to make these lots more affordable.
“So when I say that, it’s in terms of how much it would be sold at to the low-income earners. So for low-income earners, that is also a priority right now.”
He added that the Housing Authority was working on their model home concept aimed at supporting low-income earners.
“They are coming up with the model homes that are very cheap but in terms of the quality, they have to meet the standards with something that is affordable.
“A two-bedroom house that some contractors are building, is much lower than what our local contractors can offer.
“So, when you look at house and the land, that comes with a cost.
“But at least what we are trying to do now is go for model concepts that will promote affordability, as well as meet our local standards.”
