The Ministry of Housing and Land Reform currently hosts ongoing public consultations and stakeholder sessions in Nassau, Abaco, and Freeport regarding national land legislation and housing opportunities, within its Sustainable Housing Opportunities for Urban Transformation (SHOUT) programme.
These community centered consultation meetings are to inform the public and also answer any questions or concerns.
The initial meetings began in the capital at C.V. Bethel Senior High School, October 6, 2026 with an open discussion about Pinecrest II Development, a proposed public rentals and affordable housing project that broke ground in late 2021 with its first development, ‘Pine Crest.’
Moving with high purpose and efforts, keys were distributed in 2023 to successful candidates. Fast-forward to 2026 where the above-mentioned SHOUT consultations have taken place to introduce a second phase to the Pinecrest Development — ‘Pinecrest II.’
Minister of Housing the Hon. Keith Bell spoke with a high spirited tone throughout the evening that showed not only his confidence in the initiatives and developments but excitement for the interaction with the community. He encouraged persons to sign up online with the required documents, fill out the physical register offered at the consultation. He also spoke to management plans and environmental and social impacts.
Housing personnel delivered a full breakdown of the realities of housing within the country whether it be renting, owning, or the newest of its kind — renting to own. Persons of the public and surrounding communities alike showed up in substantial numbers and were very engaged and interactive throughout the time with questions, concerns and suggestions.
Featured guest speaker was Ms. Julia Evans of 4Climate Resilience, strategic planning guidance and climate resilience consulting.
Pincecrest II development’s layout plans were featured for public viewing.
The second public consultation for the SHOUT programme was held the following evening on October 7 at Stephen Dillet Primary School. The proposed topic this time was Public Rentals. Housing once again made presentations along with the minister before opening up to a floor discussion, as successfully done the evening before. Minister Bell emphasized that the housing crisis is one of the nation’s primary social and economic challenges.
“We are focusing on expanding affordable housing pipelines, modernizing land ownership systems, and strengthening local communities rather than just building isolated developments,” he said.
These consultation meetings are scheduled:
Friday, October 9th /6-8 p.m.
Topic: Central Pines — at Abaco Hurricane Shelter and Community Centre, Central Pines, Abaco
Wednesday, October 14th/ 6-8 p.m.
Topic: Garden Villas/Village — at Pro-Cathedral of Christ the King, Freeport, Grand Bahama
Zoom Links are available for virtual attendance of the meetings via the Ministry of Housing and Land Reform’s WhatsApp, which can be accessed from their public, official page on Facebook.
Information can be found at: https://moh-ur.com/shout-
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