OVERVIEW OF THE CENTRAL HOUSING AND PLANNING AUTHORITY
The Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA) of Guyana was created in 1948
to address the housing needs of the working class of Guyana. This agency, which
operates under the auspices of the Guyana Ministry of Housing and Water, has as its
objectives the following:
- The acquisition and allocation of lands for housing purposes and urban development
- The design, survey and development of schemes on its own and in collaboration with various groups
- The regulation of town and country planning
- The management of government public rentals
During the mid 1970’s to 1980’s, as a result of the economic decline in Guyana, the monthly mortgage repayments on a basic property were more than twice the minimum wage in the public service. Consequently, the inability to provide affordable housing to the working class led to the closure of the Ministry of Housing in 1990.
In 1993, the government implemented new initiatives aimed at upgrading the capacity of the CH&PA.
Under the newly restructured CH&PA there are several departments which make up
the core of the organisation’s operations and which disseminate the charter of the Housing Act. These departments and their subunits are:
Planning and Settlement Department
Planning and Settlement Department operates under the guidance of the Town and Country Planning Act. This department develops, designs and regulates prospective land areas and provides the link to the physical properties as they become available.
In keeping with this mandate, the unit assumes responsibility for the following
activities:
- Settlement Planning
- Planning Design
- Development Control
- Land Use from Cadastral Survey detailing (General/Local) details
Land Development and Allocation Department.
This unit assumes responsibility for the following areas with CH&PA:
- Enforcement
- Land Allocation
- Conveyance Unit
- Community Development
Squatters Settlement & Depressed Areas Upgrading Department
Squatters Settlement & Depressed Areas Upgrading Department utilizes
the skills of other departments to assist in executing Socio/Economic &
Physical investigations after which a design layout is prepared by the
Planning and Settlement Department. On the basis of this suggested
layout, cadastral (sub-division) survey plans are prepared and recorded,
occupation verified and information passed to the Land Allocation
department for titling.
The process of regularization, aimed at improving the Physical & Social
living conditions and ultimately issuing title, is different from the process
required for housing schemes
Strategic Support Services
Low Incomes Settlement Project
The Low Incomes Settlement Project is a short-term unit implemented
through IADB funding. The unit replicates the activities of the CH&PA’s
office for the low-income applicants as well as for existing squatter
settlements that are to be regularised.
This unit is primarily responsible for the implementation of the GOG/IDB
project, with the specific purpose of providing resources for the
infrastructure development of Low Income and Squatter Settlements. The
project also supports the strengthening of the CH&PA with technical
assistance and institutional strengthening support.
The main activities under this unit can therefore be categorized as
follows:
- Institutional Strengthening
- Coordination
- Engineering
- Project Management Office
In addition to this organizational structure within CH&PA’s Head Office, due to the size of Guyana, there are Regional Housing Offices in six (6)regions that administer CH&PA activities in Regions 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 10.
These offices provide similar services to those provided at the Head Office.
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