Despite being famed for his military manner and no-nonsense attitude Lt. Col Burch plans to work with the public after seeing Government housing projects blocked at every turn.

But the new approach could see Government water down plans to put up 330 units within the next 18 months and anger those who want more homes for overcrowded Bermudians. Lt. Col. Burch said criticism of Government?s performance on housing was unfair although he acknowledged he had a very difficult task ahead, after lambasting the selfishness of residents who want housing everywhere but in their own neighbourhoods.

He told ?If every time you try to do something people object and you threaten to break the law it makes your job more difficult. The answer is: We must do something different to get those people on side and explain the challenges we face. Everybody has to make a compromise and we are not just picking on one neighbourhood.?

But he said evidence from the census and housing surveys meant the scale of the task is not so great. Lt. Col. Burch said clamping down on people who kept apartments empty just to have a separate assessment number to run a car might free up accommodation.

Tackling empty property in Dockyard could also reduce the figure of new homes needed said Lt. Col. Burch, adding: ?I am suggesting we might not necessarily have to build all 330 homes.?

His re-appointment to Cabinet is yet another twist in his wavering political fortunes which saw him serve for years as Jennifer Smith?s right hand man as Chief of Staff of the Premier before entering Cabinet as Housing Minister.

He cracked down on wayward tenants and began dealing with the fall-out from the financial scandals at the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) before the 2003 election.

He held, for a matter of hours, the Ministry of Home Affairs in Jennifer Smith?s crisis cabinet just before she was dumped as Premier and replaced by Alex Scott.

Ever loyal to Ms Smith, he resigned Government before returning to public service by joining the board of BHC in February 2004. He was soon made deputy chair and also took on the chairmanship of Wedco before resigning both in frustration over the lack of action on housing.

He returned just three months later to head both in August this year after being promised more power ? and the chairmanship of Bermuda Land Development Corporation ? as Government?s housing tsar and Quango consultant.

Now appointed to Cabinet his first task will be to replace himself on the quangos. He has in mind a replacement but has yet to ask them. Asked about his return to Cabinet he said: ?In 2003 I believed it would have been inappropriate for me to continue to serve in Government because I was so closely aligned with the former Premier. In 2005 it?s a whole different ball game.?

And he denied being daunted by the new Berkeley school project which is going to come in years late and massively over budget.

He said: ?I don?t have any information other than what?s already in the public domain but we don?t have any choice. It?s is the education of our children, we have to commit the resources. Coming in today I drove by there and am very encouraged by what the site looks like and as soon as possible I will have a further look at it myself.?

Asked about his rather brusque public persona Lt. Col Burch said the critics came with the turf.

?I think it is an easy out. It is typical of our society that when you find a confident black man ? which is what I consider myself to be ? people automatically say you are arrogant. The same qualities in a white man are considered to be accepted as normal.?