Some former Booby Alley residents have told the committee overseeing their resettlement that they do not wish to move into Pelican Court, preferring to remain where they were relocated.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Friday that the committee would consider compensation arrangements for those individuals who previously owned property in Booby Alley.
“Some individuals who have been relocated from Booby Alley have already expressed to the committee that they wish not to go into Pelican Court,” Merchant said during the post-Cabinet media briefing.
“They prefer to stay where they have been relocated, and so the committee would look at how would they compensate the individuals for properties that they owned in Booby Alley.”
Merchant did not give a figure for how many residents had declined to move into the new development or outline how compensation would be calculated.
He said the committee had already established information on previous property ownership and was holding discussions with eligible residents as part of a structured allocation process.
Cabinet has approved a resettlement and allocation policy covering former homeowners, previous tenants and other eligible residents. The policy takes account of their former ownership arrangements, residential circumstances and eligibility for replacement housing.
Merchant said occupation of Pelican Court would take place in phases, with the move-in process expected to be completed in less than four weeks once it begins.
The number of residents expected to transfer was still being calculated, but he said some units were likely to remain available after former Booby Alley residents had been accommodated.
Those homes would prioritise vulnerable applicants, including people who would not ordinarily qualify for a mortgage, Merchant said.
The Chinese-funded development was handed over to the government of Antigua and Barbuda on Thursday.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Some former Booby Alley residents choose to stay in relocation homes.