People are clearly desperate for formally registered land in Honiara. The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey has revealed that 360 Lots of land in South Honiara were put up for tender late last year – 4,200 tenders were received.
South Honiara is the name given to the area around a ridge top reached from either Tuvaruhu, Nine Ridges, Jericho, or Kombivatu in Central / East Honiara.
“Clearly, this means the demand for land well and truly exceeds the available supply of lots, and less than one in ten applicants will be successful,” said an officer at the Ministry.
The Land Board and support staff at the Ministry are now in a process of developing criteria to assess the applications and determine who the successful applicants will be.
“I wish to reassure all applicants that a proper process has been adopted in this assessment. Members of the assessment committee have signed conflict of interest declarations, and they are undertaking this task fairly, consistently, and without bias,” said Commissioner of Lands (COL) Alan McNeil.
“Once the criteria have been finalized and successful applicants are chosen, in the interests of transparency the full assessment criteria will be published, along with the names of the successful applicants,” he added.
“In the meantime, please be patient while we carry out the assessment. Please do not try to check on the status of your applications or try to take possession of the land you applied for,” the COL advised applicants in a statement on Friday.
The Ministry advises that it may take a few more weeks before a decision is made by the Land Board.
Source: Press Release