He proposed that the Government return to providing shell structures through the Site and Service project that it had implemented in the 1970s. Two such success projects, he said were the De La Vega City project in Spanish Town and the Nannyville on Mountain View Avenue project in Kingston.

“These are success stories based on the individual involvement in completing the shell units allocated to these people. They changed the entire outlook and format to suit their individual taste and design,” he said.

He pointed out that in providing these units Government would have to be careful that they were not allocated based on political consideration and in the process create more garrison communities.

“Let us provide these Shell units for the poor, giving them the opportunity to complete them as the funds become available to them,” he said.

He noted that Site Service was nothing new but this could only succeed if provision of lands was an indispensable prerequisite. He said this approach could take two forms, first the upgrading of housing areas, which have already been settled and the second, the development of new lands to facilitate construction of individual houses.

“Although these forms are complementary, they must be looked upon as vitally important in solving the housing problems,” he said.