Thursday, June 22, 2006

Hon Kurt Tibbetts Leader of Government Business

It is only a matter of months according to Leader of Government Business, Hon Kurt Tibbetts, before the Government apartments on Crewe Road, opposite Jose's Esso Service Centre, will be demolished.

At last week's press briefing Mr Tibbetts said the buildings were to have been demolished "approximately six or seven years ago," but added that demolition had been repeatedly postponed owing to the fact that "three or four different Government land buys" of that property were being completed.

Even with the delays in the demolition process in the past, Mr Tibbetts said that the whole exercise was now imminent because the site was slated for the new Law Courts building.

"We have funds to begin the building in this (2006/7) fiscal year," he said.

Mr Tibbetts said that the site was particularly important for the Government because it is "one of the few locations that Government owns that is very high. And as you go back on the land it rises."

Mr Tibbetts said that the site was also slated for other buildings such as the new Traffic Department and the new National Emergency Operations Centre.

After revealing to the press that the apartments were not going to be repaired but instead, demolished, Mr Tibbetts said that the Department of Children and Family Services would be in charge of relocating the occupants of the apartments.

He added that having residential apartments on that site "was not the intention for those premises in the beginning."

He said that the apartments were to have been an interim measure for Government at the time.

Mr Tibbetts commented that the pending demolition of the apartments should bring a strong message to the occupants, who had been there for a number of years.

He noted that this was an opportunity for the residents to think about what he described as "getting some independence".

He said that the Children and Family Services department who are responsible for placing families in government property only makes temporary housing arrangements.

Moving directly on to the question of the progress being made with low cost housing facilities under the Government Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI) project, Mr Tibbetts said, as previously announced, that two properties were being subdivided for new Affordable Housing residential buildings.

Over a year ago - in May 2005 - the then Governor ordered that the AHI's National Housing and Community Development Trust (NHCDT) books were to undergo an urgent special forensic audit.

One month after that a police investigation was commissioned relating to that audit.

The project, up to May last year, was riddled with mismanagement at best - what with half of a $29 million tranche of money drawn down to build 200 homes, with the Government ending up with only 77 in hand, and no sign of money or materials to complete that part of the job in sight.

Asked for an update on the police investigation Mr Tibbetts said, "Cabinet has nothing to do with the length of time that investigation is taking. That has to do with the official arm of Government."

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