The final government house in Phase 5 of the Sapper Hill housing development in Stanley is now complete, only 15 months after work began and despite the pressures and impacts of the global pandemic. The project began in July 2019 and the final set of keys was handed over in a ribbon-cutting ceremony today.
The £2.55 million programme of work was managed by the government’s Public Works Department and delivered by Falkland Building Services (FBS), a subsidiary of the Falkland Islands Company (FIC), originally comprised 18 units, including semi-detached houses and four one-bedroom flats.
This was the first time that FIC had partnered with the government in a housing contract, and a further eleven local sub-contracted companies and individuals were also employed across the phases of construction, from building, to plastering, to painting. This resulted in a very multi-cultural workforce across the entire programme, including Falkland Islanders, Chileans, Peruvians, Saints, Filipinos, South African and British workers from England, Scotland and Wales.
Speaking of the successful completion of Phase 5, MLA Barry Elsby, portfolio lead for housing, said: “Housing is a perennial issue for the Falkland Islands, particularly as our population grows and more people are attracted to seek work in Stanley, either from within the Islands or from overseas. The completion of Phase 5 of Sapper Hill shows just what can be achieved when the government works with the private sector to deliver high quality housing, on time and on budget. Phase 6 of the overall development is already underway and we are currently in the process of analysing the results of our recent public consultation on housing priorities, in order to help shape our plans for the future.”
Kevin Ironside, Managing Director for FIC, added: “’The FIC was delighted to win its first housing contract from FIG and today sees the handover of the last house constructed as part of this initial contract, which has been delivered on schedule by our colleagues in Falkland Building Services and supported by a large number of local sub-contractors. We are proud of the housing that our team have delivered and look forward to continuing to work with PWD as we complete the remaining blocks of flats.”
Further to the original scope, in May 2020 the project was expanded to include an additional eight one-bedroom flats which are expected to be complete by March 2021.
