See full statement from the Ministry of Housing and the Central Housing and Planning Authority:
The Ministry of Housing and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) are hereby addressing an issue circulating on social media regarding the unauthorised construction of a residential building on a parcel of land at the Plantation Le Ressouvenir Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara.
The facts are clear: the allottee was allocated a residential house lot at Parcel 394, Le Ressouvenir, but proceeded to construct a building on Parcel 460, a designated commercial lot that was never allocated to her. This was discovered through the Ministry’s strengthened monitoring and enforcement efforts across housing schemes. The Ministry categorically rejects any suggestion that its surveyors misdirected the allottee or showed her the wrong house lot. Parcel 460 was never identified, assigned or allocated to her by the Ministry. Her decision to build on a plot of land outside her official allocation was unlawful, unauthorised and constitutes a clear violation of the terms of her allocation. An allotment in a scheme does not give anyone the right to occupy or construct on a parcel of land that has not been assigned to them.
Following the discovery by the Ministry’s monitoring and enforcement team, the allottee was engaged and informed of the necessary steps required to address the matter and arrangements have since been made for the agency’s surveyors to identify and show the allottee the residential lot allocated to her. A Notice of Contravention was also issued to the allottee on September 18, 2026, allowing one month from the date of issuance to relocate to her allocated house lot and to demolish the unlawful structure. In response, the allottee requested ownership of the commercial parcel on which she had constructed. That request was denied, as Parcel 460 does not constitute her official allocation. Further, during an engagement with a Ministry of Housing staff on September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a community engagement at Better Hope, East Coast Demerara, the allottee admitted that she was aware she had constructed on the wrong lot.
Despite the circumstances and the allottee’s responsibility for the unauthorised construction, the Ministry facilitated the provision of a Steel and Cement Housing Subsidy voucher to assist with the commencement of the allottee’s foundation on her allocated lot.
The Ministry reminds the public that an allocation of land does not grant an allottee the right to occupy or build on any parcel of their choosing. Allottees are urged to confirm the precise location and boundaries of their allocated lots with the agency’s surveyors before commencing construction. Proceeding without such verification can result in unlawful occupation, encroachment on other lots, financial loss and enforcement action. The Ministry and CH&PA will continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement across housing schemes, ensuring that allottees comply with established requirements and that the integrity of the allocation process is upheld across all housing developments.
