Lt. Col. Burch said that tender documents for the planned renovation work on BHC units on Anchorage Road were being issued and that the work ?will be co-ordinated to coincide with the relocation of the current tenants?.

?Efforts to relocate the current tenants are ongoing. It should be noted that we are conducting a complete review of their circumstances as a number of these tenants have lived there for many years and not all of them are up to date with their rent.

?The plan is to completely refurbish the 12 units and return them to the rental market.?

Renovations of units at Sandhurst in St. George?s begin next month, he continued. ?This will result in two three bedroom units, one two bedroom unit, two one bedroom units and a studio unit to add to the rental pool.?

And another three apartments will be added following conversion of another of the Corporation?s buildings.

And at Orange Hole, St. David?s, two three bedrooms and one two bedroom unit will come on line soon ? Lt. Col. Burch said that foundation work on the ?final block? of that project had started.

But another project, on Ewing Street, had been delayed over a boundary dispute.

?The Corporation has also had preliminary discussions with the Department of Planning over the development potential of 1.6 acres of land situated in Pembroke Parish,? Lt. Col. Burch continued.

?The potential exists to have as many as 32 units there. This site appears ideally suited to building higher than the traditional development and that option is being explored.?

BHC has also identified some Government properties with a view to using them for housing and the Housing Minister was seeking approval.

And he said the programme to renovate derelict properties was ongoing.

?A parish by parish survey was begun in May to locate properties from St. George?s to Dockyard and then identify their owners and approach them with a view to working with the Corporation to rehabilitate these properties,? he said.

?As you can imagine this is a lengthy process that is continuing. As individual locations are resolved - restoration work will commence.?

Lt. Col Burch also reported that over 100 people had responded to recent advertisements calling for people interested in purchasing one bedroom condos, and that BHC?s mortgage department was reviewing the applicants.

?You will readily see from the above list that the plans of the Bermuda Housing Corporation to provide additional housing span the entire Island and at the outset we would ask our fellow Bermudians to be tolerant of our attempts to house Bermudians,? he concluded.

?We must, each of us in every parish share in the resolution to this monumental problem.?

And on the administration of the Corporation?s financial affairs, he said that the 2002 and 2003 financial statements will be tabled in parliament after the summer recess, but the audit of the March 2004 financial statements which was due to begin this month had been delayed for two or three weeks at the request of the firm doing the work.