News
164 Recommendations toward an end to Lottery for Land in TCI
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, November 25, 2022 – An agreement to revise the approach to the dissemination of Crown Land has been reached by The Turks and Caicos and UK governments after their respective consultants made more than a hundred recommendations regarding the current policy.
Premier Washington Misick made the announcement in a town hall meeting in Providenciales on November 21st revealing that 164 recommendations were laid out by the consultants based on their review.
“The recommendations were agreed to lock stock and barrel both by the local and UK government and that has now been greenlighted for implementation. A paper will be going to cabinet again on the 9th to approve some low
“Gone are the days of a raffle for a piece of crown land in this country. That will be something of the past.”
It’s a welcome relief for both developers and residents.
The dramatic change in Crown Land management came in a new Ordinance instituted in in 2012 following a constitutional shutdown initiated by the UK. Alleged abuses linked to hundreds of acres of Crown Land under the Michael Misick-led administration, led to the radical change which has been a bone of contention for nearly 12 years now.
As for what the agreement between Turks and Caicos leaders and UK officials means for residents going forward, Premier Washington Misick reiterated the plan to provide housing solutions for people across the TCI to bring down the often astronomical costs surrounding building, owning and renting a home.
“One thing I can tell you as I’ve said over and over is the plan as it relates to residential properties is to try and deliver shelter, completed communities with all of the modern services rather than a piece of dirt like we have been doing in the past.”
He said there was a significant amount of work to be done but promised that issues including legacy properties and other recurring issues would be dealt with in due time.