Tenders are being advertised for contractors to build affordable homes in Southside – almost three years after 98 people won a lottery to buy them.

On June 3, 2005, the lottery winners were promised two-bedroom, three-bedroom or four-bedroom townhouses that would be sold to them for $199,000.

Since then the project for affordable homes at the Harbour View Village site, opposite the Southside Police Station, has been hit by delays.

Bermuda Homes for People, which originally spearheaded the project, became insolvent in September, 2005 and then commercial tenants on 12 acres of the 16-acre plot devoted to the affordable housing project protested.

Then the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC), which owned the land, refused to sell the entire plot, giving Government only four acres.

Even with all these delays, however, Minister of Housing, Sen. David Burch held a groundbreaking ceremony last July, when the media were invited, and then later promised in the Senate that construction would start the followng September.

He said at the time: "For those who think last week was just a photo op let me set out the timeline for this project. Six to eight weeks of site clearing, excavation and grading — concurrent with that is the removal of a 500,000 gallon underground storage tank and contract documentation preparation.

"August 2007, contract documents out to tender to invited contractors. Construction begins in September, 2007."

However, this week the Bermuda Housing Corporation advertised for contractors for the Harbour View Village Development. It states: "Bermuda Housing Corporation invites contractors interested in the multi-phased construction of the 106 condominiums at Southside, St. David's.

"The residential development consist of seven multi-storey buildings total — one three-storey twelve unit building, one three/four-storey split fourteen unit building and five four-storey sixteen unit buildings.

"As per normal; extensive works are to include (but not limited to) the above mentioned and auxiliary utilities/amenities such as the construction of utility rooms, water tanks, garbage collection enclosure, mail kiosk and playing equipment."

Contractors have until April 11 at 4 p.m. to make their submissions, but there is no indication in the advertisement as to when construction is scheduled to begin.

Questions sent to Mr. Burch's press representative, which remained unanswered at press time, were:

• Why have contractors been requested only now?

• When is construction now projected to begin? Are the contactors being asked to build the same number of apartments as previously stated? Will the same number of lottery winners be able to move into the complex?

Are you a lottery winner? Are you concerned about this delay or happy it is finally underway? Please contact Robyn Skinner at The Royal Gazette at rskinner@royalgazette.bm