Legislators on Friday approved a deal putting the final touches to an exchange of property with The Haven Trust.

Teen Services was moved from its former Berkeley Road site to the Bayview property on Happy Valley Road in Pembroke, to make way for the building of the new senior secondary school at Berkeley.

The deal concluded the exchange of the two properties with the freehold transfer of Bayview to The Haven Trust.

An outstanding mortgage on Bayview had to be paid off before the transfer could go ahead.

?The exchange of properties has been negotiated by the former administration during 1997 when the land occupied by The Haven was required for incorporation into the campus for the new second senior secondary school,? said Legislative Affairs Minister who introduced the proposals.

?This Government honoured the former administration?s agreement to The Haven to exchange The Haven for Bayview.?

But Government was sharply criticised by the Opposition party for taking seven years to finish the transaction.

?What took Government seven years to convey the property? Who went to sleep and when did they wake up?? asked the Opposition?s .

Effectively, added Shadow Works Minister , Government had built on a property that it didn?t own.

She said she was ?tremendously disturbed? by Government?s ?negligence?.

?This type of delay does not bode well for any government where they are seen to be deficient and delinquent in their attention to detail.?

?It?s late but the programmes (Berkeley and Teen Services) have not suffered,? said Education Minister .

Mr. Lister and Environment Minister both praised the programmes offered at Teen Services.

Mr. Scott said he was grateful to the Bank of Bermuda for reducing the amount owing on the mortgage for the property.

?The Bank of Bermuda initially stated it would accept $330,000 as full and final settlement. However, after further negotiation, the Bank of Bermuda agreed to accept the sum of $275,000 to redeem the mortgage in full,? he said.