Plans to bring basic modular homes to Boaz Island in Sandys, alleviating a critical need for housing, faced scepticism from area residents Tuesday.

Dozens attended a town hall at the Western Zone Community Centre to voice their concerns about the plan, which proposes placing nine 390.7 sq ft moveable units in a vacant lot in the area.

The event was standing room only, with some attendees questioning why Boaz Island was chosen for the project, and querying the ability of the units to withstand hurricanes.

One woman asked: “Due to the fact that we have winds coming from all different angles, why was it not considered to be more inland?”

She added: “I think it’s a brilliant idea — but the location is not making sense to me, it could be more inland and you could branch out.”

Andrew Pettit, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Housing and Municipalities, told the gathering that the 0.64-acre area was chosen because it offered flat, government-owned land not zoned for conservation.

He explained: “It’s well screened from the road and we know we can landscape it to screen it off even more.

“It has good recreational amenities, which also means that it’s buffered, it’s not right up against everything.

“It’s close to infrastructure, public transport services — it’s a suitable size for a small pilot.”

Zane DeSilva, the Minister of Housing and Municipalities, and Keino Furbert-Jacobs, Bermuda Housing Corporation project manager, said the units had been tested in a wind tunnel for gusts of up to 150mph.

Another attendee questioned how the capsules, comprising seven one-bedroom and two one-bedroom deluxe units, would affect property value in Boaz Island.

Mr DeSilva, also the Deputy Premier, responded: “Looking at the units, I don’t think you’ll have any devalue. The units are beautiful.”

He said last month that the modular homes would provide “immediate relief to families in the most critical need and serve as a live pilot to assess modular construction as a long-term housing solution”.

Eleven capsules, ranging from one to three-bedroom units, were initially expected.

Mr DeSilva said last night: “This is a pilot. These units could be here for a year to 18 months; we’ll see how it goes.

“But I plan to build modular homes two and three stories high, not the capsules. So by the end of next year, they will be used strictly for emergency, or at that time, we won’t need any emergency.

“Maybe people will see them, like them and want to buy them; who knows what’s going to happen in the future. But I would think that certainly there would be no devaluation.”

Another resident said: “I’ve been here all my life just about. It’s a great community, and I feel like this is going to bring in strangers and mess up the calm and good love that we have in this community.”

Mr DeSilva, who once lived at Boaz Island, said: “If I lived here now, I would like to think that we’re not going to bring people up here that will disturb the neighbourhood and break up your family gathering.”

Of the 748 people on the Bermuda Housing Corporation’s waiting list, 134 people from 57 households are in critical need of housing while 238 individuals from 98 households are in urgent need.

Mr DeSilva also cited plans to produce between 100 and 200 permanent homes by the end of 2026.

The minister explained: “We all know how hard it is to get a permit here for whatever reason, but I’m hellbent on providing homes for our people.

“We cannot have people living in cars and tents, people living on top on one another — we cannot have that.”

Mr DeSilva assured attendees no new permanent homes will be built on Boaz Island, which he acknowledged was already densely populated.

Regarding the cut in units from 11 to nine, a government spokeswoman explained: “The pilot has been refined following further technical and design work.

“These capsule-style units were assessed as the most practical approach, taking into account Bermuda’s climate, the proposed end use, typical site conditions and installation requirements.

“As a result, the layout and unit mix have been adjusted and the pilot now comprises nine units rather than 11.”

This story has been edited to correct the number of people in urgent need of housing. It previously said 700 people on a waiting list of 1,100 people were in urgent need of housing.