THE Strata Titles Bill 2017 do not only benefit developers and those people lucky enough to own their Fixed Term Estates, but encourages development.
Minister of Lands, Housing and Survey, Andrew Manepora, confirmed this when he tabled the Bill in the second reading in Parliament on Tuesday.
Manepora said the legislation is seen as a way of encouraging more medium and high density development, including more affordable housing units, particularly in Honiara.
He said this will, in turn, ease the pressure for additional land for urban development outside Honiara’s boundaries and thus alleviate uncontrolled urban sprawl.
“Many Solomon Islanders cannot afford to buy a strata unit in a building.
“The boost in the number of apartment developments will be a bonus for people who are unable to find or afford land, as it will provide ready-made residences, and the increased supply of apartments will likely have the effect of driving prices down, which will benefit purchases,” he said.
Furthermore, Manepora said the Ministry has resources to implement the Bill, and the ongoing costs are expected to be small, as Strata Schemes can be processed by current staff at my Ministry and by the Registrar of Titles office.
He said for a start they do not expect to see many applications for Strata Schemes, and the ones they do not get can be processed by current staff within their own existing working hours.
However, Manepora said his officers will need to undergo further training in how to process applications for Strata Schemes, including how to do a survey in three dimensions, and how to create an additional layers of title registrations.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
