Government has appointed a select committee to create a Five-Year Master Plan for Housing, Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent revealed on Monday.

Mr. DeVent also called on Bermudians ? namely the Opposition United Bermuda Party ? to get on board with new housing developments or ?walk the plank?.

Speaking during the Budget debate on the Bermuda Housing Corporation yesterday, Mr. DeVent said the dream of owning ?a beautiful pastel-coloured cottage with a well-manicured lawn and a flower or vegetable garden is fast becoming a thing of the past.

?If we are to collectively move forward, it is imperative that we begin to re-examine what was with a view to embracing what is.?

Appealing to the ?giving spirit and willingness to help? of Bermudians, Mr. DeVent said sacrifices must be made by individuals for the collective good. ?NIMBY-ism has no place in an Island of only 21 square miles with a critical shortage of affordable housing.?

The Opposition demanding Government provide housing and then shouting down developments once they are proposed because their constituents do not want such developments in their back yard helps no one, he said. ?The solutions we face are not insurmountable.

?They will, however, require sober minds with a willingness to embrace the future as one.?

Gone is the era of exclusive neighbourhoods, he said, adding that neighbourhoods of mixed incomes ? and race ? could help Bermudians to better understand one another.

Government is not the only entity with a role to play, he said. Landlords and tenants must abide by their leases fairly ? including the timely payment of rents.

?People have to understand that they have a responsibility, and if they do not meet it, there will be severe consequences... There can be no free rides.?

A committee consisting of Junior Housing Minister Sen. Raymond Tannock and representatives from the Ministry of Works and Engineering, the BHC, Wedco, the BLDC, and the Department of Planning has been charged with devising a Five Year Master Plan for Housing encompassing all the proposed housing initiatives which fall under those Government Ministries and quangos, Mr. DeVent said.

?The Five-Year Plan will incorporate all of the land requirements, funding issues, construction methods, delivery methods ... the Plan will be shared with the Boards of the relevant agencies to ensure the necessary agreement by all concerned.? The committee will then co-ordinate the plan?s delivery by working with local financial institutions, respective quango Boards, Planning, and local and overseas suppliers and contractors. Throughout the process the committee will work closely with the Minister, Junior Minister, and Cabinet.

Part of the creation of the plan will involve a broad-based survey identifying the housing needs of the community, Mr. DeVent said.

Explaining that it was no good building family units if all that is needed are units for single people, he said the survey will take into consideration the impact of private sector development on demands currently placed on Government. ?The desired outcome of the survey would be to provide data on number and types of housing units required by the Bermuda community as a whole that the Government would be required to produce.

?The terms of reference for the housing survey are currently being finalised in preparation to be sent out for requests for proposals.

?The survey is vital to the success of delivering on the housing initiatives outlined in the Social Agenda. The committee is working to ensure this survey is done as quickly as possible without compromising the quality of the report.?