The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said a future FNM government would tackle the housing crisis by partnering with the private sector and using public land to cut costs for thousands of Bahamians priced out of home ownership.

He said demand for housing exceeds 12,000 people and argued that government intervention can make homes more affordable.

“We believe we have many companies that are skilled in home construction, and we ought to work with the private sector to drive the process of creating more affordable homes for the thousands of Bahamians who do not have access to them right now,” Mr Pintard told reporters outside the House of Assembly.

He said the government could reduce the cost of housing by contributing land to developments.

“The government is in a position to partner with private sector groups in terms of shaving the cost of a home investment by putting in that pool, land that we have access to, land that we own, it will shave the cost,” he said.

Mr Pintard said the previous FNM administration showed how government action can expand access to home ownership, particularly for young Bahamians who would not otherwise afford land in certain areas.

He said costs could be reduced by making land available, contributing to infrastructure and working with suitable lenders.

Mr Pintard also criticised delays in the approvals process, saying the Ministry of Works “needs dramatic help” and should use private sector expertise to speed up evaluations.

“We have engineers who can help. We have persons who work in the area of the environment who can help in the evaluation of plans, building plans, and the speedy approval of both commercial and residential projects,” Mr Pintard said.

He said housing construction could see a “fundamental shift” and suggested Bahamian-owned factories could help supply materials.

On rent control, Mr Pintard said “all things are on the table” but indicated it is not the party’s current focus.

He said the FNM is prioritising policies to expand affordable housing and upgrade existing properties, particularly in over-the-hill communities, by supporting landlords willing to improve conditions.

“There are things government can do through tax incentives, duty free import of material, or working with hardware stores that already have material so that you can afford to upgrade without passing that cost on, because the government is eating some of that cost by foregoing the revenue through incentives,” Mr Pintard said.

Mr Pintard defended the party’s proposals against criticism comparing them to a mortgage relief initiative under former Prime Minister Perry Christie, saying the FNM remains confident after consultations with local and international stakeholders.

“The pundits do what they do,” he said. “They can assess what they believe we're saying and how successful we'll be. We are absolutely committed to this project. We spend a lot of time meeting the persons, both locally and internationally, having a discussion about a new vision for housing in the Bahamas, and so we have more confidence in those persons opinion on what we can do with housing than the others who are on the sideline looking in.”

He said his own experience building and selling homes informs the party’s approach and argued the scale of the proposals reflects the scale of the problem.

“Those who believe we are thinking too big, we believe that their ambitions are just too small,” he said.