site at the 11th hour after confusion among officials.

Around 40 people supporting the Peoples' Coalition for Affordable Housing were upset and angry after reaching security gates at Baselands, only to be told that they couldn't come in.

They were kept outside locked gates -- despite being granted permission in a faxed letter from the Bermuda Land Development Company, who look after the former US base.

Guards told representatives that they had received a phone call yesterday instructing them to deny access to the marchers.

PCAH chairwoman, Rosemarie Pedro said: "I am very disappointed with the BLDC because we couldn't get in. It was an injustice to the people.'' But BLDC communications director Don Grearson said the faxed letter was a mistake and they were never going to allow access to the marchers. And he said the People's Coalition for Affordable Housing were told last Monday that this would be the case.

Marchers upset over lock-out In relation to their demand to see the vacant homes on the base, he added that later this year 54 three-bedroom units would be available in the area -- which would go a considerable way to alleviating the demand for family homes.

Jerome Dill, the new Development and Opportunity Minister, attended the march and promised that he would investigate the Baselands housing stock as soon as possible.

He said the question was, what was available and was it suitable for people.

"We don't want to mislead people into thinking we have discovered something here. We need an in-depth study of the housing here,'' he said.

The number of houses, their condition and the proper way to deal with them, had to be considered, he said.

Coreen Tucker, of the National Tenants and Future Homeowners Association, said the base was an untapped resource that the Government shouldn't demolish.

And she added that the housing problem crossed all barriers -- affecting every sector of Bermudian society.

Ms Pedro said there were 200 people in Bermuda considered emergency housing cases. They couldn't afford real estate rental prices.

"There are houses available here and there are people who will give their services to make these houses adequate for peoples' housing needs,'' she said.

Mr. Grearson said the two-bedroom blocks they were demolishing were too fragile to be considered and to bring them up to standard would be uneconomic.

"You could knock them down with one tractor in 45 minutes,'' he said. "They are not hurricane proof and to bring them up to standard, they would need to be completely braced. Then they wouldn't be affordable housing.'' In addition he said they were also located on a site that was earmarked as a business and technology park.

He said the marchers should be aware of the houses they are currently preparing for families at St. David's.

"We are doing our part to help out,'' he said.

Last year a massive plan was unveiled for the 30-year project to regenerate the former US Naval Air station, which was vacated in 1995.

Ideas include parkland, a business and technology park, redevelopment of the officers' quarters as homes and possibly a cinema on the 420 acre redevelopment site.