NEW Housing Programs for Q2 and Q3 of the financial years, says Minister Robinson 

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 23, 2023 – The Turks and Caicos’ Housing Policy was officially passed in March, now armed with cash from the newly approved budget, TCIG is greenlighting promised (and desperately needed) living solutions for residents as they struggle with high rent and mortgage prices. Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development updated the public during the National Budget Debate on Thursday May 18th.

“We are looking to develop online applications for two of the housing projects by the second quarter,” he said, indicating that they were attempting to then officially launch two programs by the third quarter of the financial year.

The Ministry of PPID had promised three initial projects would be put into motion once the policy was passed. They included Housing Concessions for Residential Developers, Home Improvement Programs, and Community Urban Renewal and Infilling. All three programs incentivise the construction or improvement of long term rentals or residences which are in short supply in the Turks and Caicos currently.

Robinson had already explained Project Number 1: Housing Concessions as he spoke with Drexwell Seymour on RTC’s Financially Speaking, it could give residents building long term residential homes (not AirBnB’s or the like) a 100 percent duty exemption on their building materials.

“We are looking to give anyone who is building five units or more up to 100 percent duty free so you can make your application,” Robinson had said.

Residents may be looking to take the Government up on its offer as many are already making applications for building permits to erect apartments.

Based on the latest publicly available minutes from the planning department detailing a March 2023 meeting, conditional approval was granted to seven different developers for eleven new apartment buildings and one extension in Providenciales, which when complete, will add a total of 141 units to the housing market.

Robinson said the department was still tying the last of its loose ends including hiring more employees and making sure their offices were properly fitted before projects began in earnest.

The minister said the Housing Department had already received $3 Million to jump start the programs in the last fiscal period.