More than three years since they were promised an affordable home Michael and Rosalie Aubrey say they are tired of waiting and want to leave the Island.

The Bermudian couple who are nearing retirement were one of the many couples who "won" a home in the June 2005 lottery drawing held by the Government.

Ninety-eight names were drawn and the different sized families were all promised two, three and four bedroom homes starting at the affordable rate of $199,000 at the Southside location.

Now more than three years later and five months since we last reported that a tender had been put our for contractors to build the homes, The Royal Gazette understands there has been no progression.

Asked for an update on the Harbour View Village site in Southside, the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs & Housing, Senator David Burch said he had no comment at this time.

But for Mr. Aubrey and his wife, their dream of owning their first home on the Island is keeping them up at night and causing more stress then they can bear.

"It's taking too long and it's making me feel annoyed and I am getting very, very tired. For months Iwas thinking about this. What am I going to do for my future?" he said.

"It's really getting me down. I cannot take any more of this. I am getting older and everything.

"We are going to pick up and live in the States. Sometimes it's hard 'cause the rent goes up and we are paying on a car loan."

The project was beset with problems from the beginning when Bermuda Homes for People, which originally spearheaded the development became insolvent in September, 2005.

Commercial tenants on 12 acres of the 16-acre plot then protested and Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC) which owned the land refused to sell the entire plot.

The Government then was only able to acquire four acres of land, severely depleting the number of houses they would be able to build.

However, at a groundbreaking for the village last May Sen. Burch promised that it was not a photo opportunity, but that construction would begin by September last year.

A similar promise was made at the groundbreaking of affordable homes at the Westcott Lane, Southside, at the end of May last year by Premier Ewart Brown.

At the time he said: "In November 2006 the legislation was passed to enable this project to move forward. There have been questions about whether we're serious about tackling affordable housing.

"Well this is the second time I've put on a hard hat in two weeks, so I guess we are."

However, though much fanfare was made of the 54 units, consisting of 36 two-bedroom units and 18 three-bedroom units which would sell for between $425,000 and $500,000 nothing has been -done.

Yesterday, Steven Daniels of Trinity Construction, which purchased the lease on the property for $3.8 million and 120 years, said his company was just waiting on the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC).

He said: "We are still waiting on them. The SDO (Special Development Order) was one of the things we are waiting on. The finances were approved."