Conceptual drawings have been revealed for an innovative geared-to-income rental housing initiative that will create a 100-home community in the West End.

And Government has pledged a project manager will be in place early in 2007.

Residents of the ageing terrace housing at Albert Row and Victoria Terrace on Ireland Island South will be the first to move into the new homes on nearby Cochrane Road once they are constructed.

That should leave 76 homes for others on the housing list.

But even as Housing Minister David Burch paraded early designs for the new houses, Shadow Housing Minister Kim Swan lambasted Government for not having the homes already built after eight years in power.

“People in Bermuda can’t live in artists’ impressions, if they could they would be living in Harbour Village which is defunct but again we saw artists’ impressions,” said Sen. Swan.

Having been in power so long Government has had ample time to turn concept drawings into reality, argued the UBP senator, in response to fellow senator David Burch ‘s announcing of the proposed homes for Ireland Island South.

Sen. Burch said all those who move into the new homes will be part of a new concept for Bermuda where they will pay rent that represents a percentage of their household income rather than a flat rate.

So neighbours might end up paying greatly different rent.

Explaining the idea he said: “Some say Government already supplies geared-to-income housing under the Financial Assistance programme — but the new method proposed will return dignity to tenants who will no longer have to ‘bare their soul’ to various Government agencies. However, I warn that families participating in the geared-to-income programme cannot receive any other financial help from Government.”

Families will have their household income assessed every two years and be charged a rent that matches their income.

Because the assessment will only be made every two years the intervening time-lag gives families an opportunity to save money when they receive extra income, such as wage rises.

This might will put them on a stronger footing for the future when they might eventually be able to buy their own home in a similar fashion, according to Sen. Burch.

He said: “This is a major departure from the norm, as currently under financial assistance one’s support is curtailed by the amount of money saved.

“It is our expectation that successful applicants will also use ‘geared to income’ as a means of securing home ownership.”

The Housing Minister was following through on a pledge made in the Throne Speech to provide new housing for the residents of the two rows of terraces, which it is considered would be prohibitively costly to renovate.

Sen. Burch foresees Victoria Terrace being demolished and would like Albert Row also to be razed, but said that was unlikely as that terrace has ‘listed’ status.

As he gave the update on the housing project at Ireland Island South, Sen. Burch also mentioned other initiatives aimed at providing affordable housing including the identifying of derelict homes that can be renovated and then rented or sold to families.

He said a team is being assembled to carry out this work and six properties were already under investigation.

And he shot back at those who have criticised Government for not doing enough to address the issues of the poor pointing out he had not been in a position to choose the order in which housing projects such as Loughlands, Southside and Anchorage Village had been done, but said the knock-on effect of moving families into these projects was freeing up affordable housing elsewhere.

However, Sen. Swan remains unimpressed by Government’s track record in turning concept ideas and words into reality. He said: “People can’t live in artists’ impressions.

“The plight of people needing affordable housing is not something that just happened last week or last year. It was a hot topic before the 2003 election. “And the one thing that resonates is that people can’t live in artists’ impressions.

“If Government could snap its fingers and these artists’ impressions came alive then it would be different.”

He said the UBP had been laughed at by Government during the 2003 election campaign when it presented a model of 100 proposed affordable homes, yet Government was now on the eve of a new election and “with eight years of power under its belt should have come up with some results.”

Sen. Swan said the recently completed Anchorage Village project had been started in 1998 and only now finished.

“We are talking about 16 housing units that have taken 96 months to renovate.

“That’s this Government’s housing legacy. In 1998 they were talking about renovating derelict properties and that sounded lovely back then but it is old hat in 2006.

“That’s eight years and they have not found a way to do it. The people of Bermuda who put their trust in Government have been let down.”