udc informational booklet

“Urban DevelopmentCommission,

Bridging Urban Barbados”

URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

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Director’s Address 2

House Repair/Replacement Programme 6

Transfer of Title Programme 8

Roads Programme 11

Public Private Partnerships& Community Development 13

TABLE OF CONTENTS


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Development comes in many forms including physical and human resource but often the environment is neglected. The mandate of the Urban Development Commission (UDC) is wide enough to include all aspects of development but has in the past concentrated on the repair, upgrade and replacement of houses; upgrade of tenantry roads, provision of foothpaths, removal of abandoned buildings and provision of subsidies to tenants in the urban corridor. When the Commission has turned its attention to the social side of development it has been on an ad hoc basis responding to

individual and group requests to meet some short term gain.

It can be argued that there are other agencies charged with social development responsibilities and for the UDC to venture into this realm, clashes with the role and functioning of the Welfare Department, National Disabilities Unit (NDU), Gender Affairs Division (GAD), National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Community Development Department (CDD) and the Ministries of Culture, Education and Social Development. Yes there is duplication across government programmes and yes, there is some justification for the complexity of agencies designed to provide the same care and services. But the reality is that human needs are not designed with an agency in mind. In fact the opposite is the case in that agencies are designed to meet the needs of a populace. The duplication and cross-purposes come when turf wars and the building of edifices become the concern and pivotal reason for the agency’s existence.

DIRECTOR’S ADDRESS

Bridging UrbanBarbados


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The UDC is not about turf control or about building edifices or legacies but about making urban Barbados a friendly, hospitable and active community of homes, businesses and places of recreation. We make it friendly in that it is pleasing to the eye and welcoming to all visitors. Comfortable to work, rest, recreate and shop without fear or hesitation. It is active in that life is energising and changing for the better.

We aim to do this by placing human comfort and hope at the pivot of our programmes. We are mindful of the state of housing and the physical development in urban Barbados and without apportioning any blame, believe that the programmes of the Commission were too concerned with poverty alleviation and too little concerned with human development. There was too much concentration on meeting the next election and securing the popular vote than on making urban Barbados the community that it can become.

It is the aim of the Commission to include in all of its initiatives the

concept of bridging services that add value and direction to the people with whom it interacts. The Commission believes that houses and roads are constructed to provide people with facilities that make their lives comfortable. But comfortable living goes beyond the house and goes to the heart of the relationships between all residents living within and visiting the community. The Commission believes comforts come through freedoms: to dream and pursue them; to move and to do so without fear; to recreate and to do so at one’s own pace; to rest and to do so with the chance to dream, completing a cycle of relationships that are wholesome and that contribute to building family and community. That is the Commission’s interpretation of its mandate and it will be addressed through interventions that deal with the families, households and communities that make up the urban corridor. Our programmes will meet the demands of modernizing our communities without ignoring the individual plight but will have a holistic and long term make-up and design. To


DIRECTOR’S ADDRESS CONTINUES >


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that end our social surveys will be examined to get a picture of land ownership, size of households, the economic status of the households, and the proximity to services significant to the individual household. Finally the Commission will work with the other developmental agencies to design a full plan of the physical, economic and social development of urban Barbados. In particular it will be working with the Barbados Tourism Development Investment Ltd., the Pan African Commission, the Ministry of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and Community Development, specifically working with the Constituency Councils and Community Development Department (CDD).

It is the Commission’s intention to make the urban community active without disturbing the peaceful, aggressive without being violent and collaborative without ignoring the individual. We anticipate an urban kaleidoscope of activities and programmes including the businesses, schools, churches, waters, trees, buildings, roads and ravines all coloured by the ambitions and energies of the people that live and work within urban Barbados. Our job is to facilitate not to control, to support not to hand-out and to be proactive not reactive.



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HOUSE REPAIR /REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME

The House Repair/Replacement programme was established to provide structural assistance to persons within urban communities, who are incapable of conducting such works with their own resources. The programme offers assistance in three main areas: new house construction, house repairs and ancillary services.

New House Construction Subsequent to assessments conducted by the Commission’s Field Investigators and Project Officers, assistance will be rendered to those persons in need of a new house. Construction of a house will proceed, provided there are no encumbrances with the land ownership. Clients are required to submit the following to the Commission:

• Land ownership documentation • Land owner’s permission (to clients who are not landowners) • Plot of the land

Once the above documentation has been submitted, plans are forwarded to the Town and Country Planning for approval. After the Town and Country Planning’s approval, a contractor is chosen and a contract awarded by the Commission’s Internal Committee. This Committee comprises of:

• The Assistant Director of Operations • Project Coordinator of Housing • Senior Technical Officer • Senior Project Officer • Evaluation Compliance Officer


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The costs for the construction of houses are as follows and are exclusive of ancillary works and variations:

• Two (2) Bedroom House - $58, 250.00 • Three (3) Bedroom House - $74, 400.00

New Repairs Repairs to houses are provided upon completion of social and technical assessments by the Commission and the client deemed in need of such assistance. Contractors are invited to provide quotations after the Commission’s Project Officers have conducted the scope of works for the residence. The Internal Committee will then approve the contractor to be awarded the work.

The cost of repairs is dependent on the extent of repairs required.

Ancillary Services The Commission provides services to citizens who are wheelchair bound by constructing ramps and installing handrails. After the social assessment is conducted, the extent of the works required will be determined.

It must be noted that clients are not discriminated based upon their sex, religion, age or political affiliation. Assistance provided by the Commission is based on needs assessment.

In addition to ramps and handrails, the Commission can assist clients with the rewiring of their homes. After the relevant assessments have been conducted, the Commission will identify the extent of damage and danger to a client’s residence. Any assistance provided thereafter will be completed in compliance with the Government Electrical Engineering Department (GEED) stipulations.


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TRANSFER OFTITLE PROGRAMME

The Transfer of Title Programme provides qualified tenants of the urban tenantries an opportunity to purchase the lot on which they are residing.

Who is a Tenant?

An individual who occupies a lot in a tenantry pursuant to a tenancy, whether that tenancy exists by virtue of a lease, contract or licence and either at law or in equity.

Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act Cap:239B, Section 2

What is a Qualified Tenant?

You are deemed as a qualified tenant if you reside on:1. Tenantry - Where there are more than five (5) rented lots • You have rented land for 5 consecutive years or 5 of the last 7 years.

2. Area of Land – Where there are 2-5 rented lots • You have been living on the property prior to 1970 • You have been living on the property prior to 1990, you must have completed substantial improvements such as: • Installed a water-borne toilet • Constructed a fixed foundation • Construction in stone of, or part of, a dwelling house • Sunk a well


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What should I bring to my appointment at UDC?

If you believe you are a qualified tenant and desire to purchase a lot, please provide the following documents at your appointment with the Commission:

• Rent receipts (for as long a period as is possible, including your first rent receipt if possible) • Will of rent book tenant (if the tenant is deceased) • Power of attorney for rent book tenant • Proof of house ownership including Deed of Gift, Will, receipts for house construction, mortgage documents


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FINANCIAL INFORMATION FORQUALIFIED TENANTS

Qualified tenants under the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act are able to purchase their lot at $2.50 per square foot. The UDC will provide a subsidy for the difference between the selling price per square foot and the $2.50. For example if the lot is being sold at $10.00 per square foot, the tenant will pay $2.50 per square foot and the UDC will pay $7.50 per square foot.

If you can’t afford to purchase, you may seek assistance from a relative (child, sibling, spouse) or close friend to purchase.

If there is a need to borrow money from a Bank, Credit Union or other financial institution, the UDC will provide you with a letter confirming your eligibility and our commitment to contribute towards the purchase price.

After you have completed the purchase of your lot under the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act and have received a subsidy, you cannot resell your lot within five (5) years of purchase without first offering that lot to the National Housing Corporation.

Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act Cap:239B, Section 21


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ROADSPROGRAMME The Roads Programme was designed to provide both road and footpath access to residents within urban communities. The following are guidelines regarding the construction of a road works.

Guidelines for Road Construction:

1 The request for a road to be constructed may be submitted in writing from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, residents of an area or Constituency Representatives. Such requests should be addressed to the Director, Urban Development Commission.

2 A meeting is convened with residents to identify the area for the proposed road works.

3 The construction of the road must be approved by Cabinet after which the Commission appoints a land surveyor who will carry out all topographical and cadastral surveys of the area.

4 Written permission must be obtained from land owners who may be affected during road construction.

5 After land owner’s permission has been granted the Commission appoints an engineer to the project, who will prepare the road designs and scope of works based on surveys done.

6 Before the designs are approved, a copy should be shown to all affected land owners. The designs must also be approved by the Board of the Commission.

7 After all approvals, the road is then publicly tendered.

8 The Board chooses the contractor to conduct road works.

9 The road works are supervised by both Engineers and officers from the Commission.


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10 After the construction of the road the following issues are addressed:

• After construction the Land Surveyor will advise the Commission of the amount of land used from each individual lot. • Replace all line marks removed during road construction. • Provide revised plot plans

Guidelines for Compensation of Road Works

1. The Commission’s valuer provides a valuation report of the unit value for the area used during the road works.

2. Upon receiving this information from both the land surveyor and valuer, the Commission will write to the affected land owners offering them compensation based on the information given and requests that they provide the Commission with proof of ownership documents.

3. The Commission will request a certified copy of all proof of ownership documents along with an acceptance letter from the land owner. The validity of these documents are checked by the Commission and once verified, the land owner is paid the compensation due and given their revised plot plan.

Before After


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PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS &COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Urban Development Commission not only provides structural assistance to residents of the urban community, but also engages in partnerships with private organisations. One such organisation which has benefited from this partnership is that of the Caves Nursing Home. The staff of the Commission volunteered their time and services to present tokens of appreciation to these residents, created a choir, conducted a sing-a-long and further presented a gift to the Home to assist in its services to the elderly.

The Commission has also partnered with Unicomer Barbados Ltd., more widely known as Courts, in the participation of its Room Makeover Project. In this partnership, the Urban Development Commission completed the new structure to one of its elderly clients, whilst Unicomer grandiosely outfitted and furnished the entire house for this grateful citizen.


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Urban Development Commission has further emphasised the importance of beautiful communities through its Garden Beautification Competition. The Competition geared towards the development of gardens, flowering plants and trees and has also invited its clients to go green by encouraging recyclable materials within presentations. Clients not only experience a sense of joy and pride in their creations, but due to their successes, a chain reaction of beautification and green development occurs within our urban communities.

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