The Ministry of Physical Development, Housing and Urban Renewal will soon launch the National Sites and Services Program. The aim of this initiative is to provide suitable lands to Saint Lucians at an affordable rate.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Physical Development, Joanna Raynold Arthurton, said the focus is on using crown lands for residential purposes.

“We have done an inventory for the crown lands that are suitable for housing purposes and the intention is to develop those lands and sell them off to the public. If we are looking at a program of that nature, the National Sights and Services Program that’s supposed to have a national impact, we cannot allow people to use land indiscriminately.”

This initiative is also aimed at reducing the number of squatter communities.

Environmental consultant and engineer, Alison King Joseph, said squatters fail to consider the vulnerabilities they are exposed to.

“As squatter communities proliferate, they do so in an unplanned way. They then make themselves more vulnerable by virtue of the fact that there’s no proper access for vehicles, and they’re probably not in an area that has services. So it is an extra burden on the state to serve those properties and to make them more safe for habitation.”

The sites and services program was announced by Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Hon. Dr. Kenny Anthony in his 2014/2015 budget address. The program involves identifying lands island-wide for locals to purchase.