ABOUT 1,080 single-unit applications have been made under the New Social Housing Programme since its inception, but only 390 have been approved, with land tenure issues, incomplete applications and unsuitable land among the factors holding back applications.

Richard Cargill, head of the New Social Housing Programme under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, told the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) on Wednesday that the programme had also received 45 applications for tenement units, with the approvals being determined by the Project Oversight Committee.

Cargill said the difference between the number of applications received and those approved was largely linked to problems with the land on which applicants proposed to build.

“This is due to land tenure issues and a lot of the applications that we receive are incomplete and some of the lands that the beneficiaries would have permission to build on, they are not suitable for construction — either terrain where they are located and the soil type… and some of them are rocky and will be too expensive,” he said.

The programme, which began 2020-2021, has completed 354 housing units, comprising 809 rooms, benefiting just over 1,272 people across 57 of Jamaica’s 63 constituencies, Cargill said.

The completed units comprise 141 three-bedroom units, 132 two-bedroom units, 51 one-bedroom units and four tenement units, with the latter accounting for 29 rooms.

Of the applications that have progressed beyond approval, 368 were put to tender and contracts were awarded for 358 of those, according to Cargill.

The programme’s average completion time is three months, although many projects are completed in less than five weeks. Cargill said some projects take considerably longer because of the conditions at individual sites.

“The terrain is a major one as it affects the project timeline, the availability of materials, and the availability of workmen. Some sites are inaccessible to motor vehicles so materials must be delivered manually. In some areas, volatile community conditions make it impossible to mobilise skilled and unskilled workers from outside the community,” he expressed.

He said soil conditions and rainfall can also affect construction, particularly where saturated or unstable ground makes it unsafe for work to continue.

Three housing units have been incomplete for more than 12 months. They are in St Mary South Eastern, Clarendon Central and St Catherine Central.

Cargill noted that the St Mary South Eastern project, a one-bedroom dwelling being constructed by Wadmar Construction Limited, has a contract value of $8.281 million and was 35 per cent complete.

He said the project had been affected by difficult terrain, limited vehicle access, and persistent adverse weather, with construction materials having to be carried manually to the site. Its expected completion date is December 2026, although termination of the contract has been considered.

In Clarendon Central, a $11.4-million project being undertaken by SM Quality Construction Limited was 50 per cent complete. Cargill said the delay resulted from the contractor’s failure to execute works in accordance with the approved joinery and bills of quantities. Termination is also being considered for that project.

The St Catherine Central project, valued at just over $8.1 million and being undertaken by Kayani Construction Limited, was 40 per cent complete. Cargill said the contractor reported that volatile conditions within the community had made it difficult to mobilise workers from outside the area. That project is also being considered for termination.

Despite those delays, Cargill said the three stalled projects represented a small proportion of the programme’s overall completed units.

The programme’s average unit cost is $5.893 million for a one-bedroom house, $7.639 million for a two-bedroom house and $8.653 million for a three-bedroom house. The highest costs reported were $8.918 million for a one-bedroom unit, $11.574 million for a two-bedroom unit and $13.75 million for a three-bedroom unit.