Question NW3300 to the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
04 January 2024 - NW3300
Herron, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
With reference to his recent announcement of Operation Bring Back which targets over 1 260 hijacked buildings belonging to his department, what resources and structures does his department intend to rely upon in order to repurpose the buildings that have been successfully brought back into the hands of Government, considering that many of the buildings are derelict and unable to fulfill the purpose for which they were designed?
Reply:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
I have been informed by the Department that in order to repurpose the buildings that have been brought back successfully into the hands of Government, the Department will employ two approaches which in the main are:
1. Government use;
Existing resources including DPWI and User departments’ CAPEX budget will be utilised. Where the scale and the financial extent of the repurposing projects exceed available resources, Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach will be considered
2. Revenue generation:
Based on highest and best use analysis of the properties, the Department will approach the market in refurbishing the buildings for short and long-term letting for income generation purposes.