GSD says planned hostel’s focus on workers ‘disappointing’

The GSD described as “disappointing” the Gibraltar Government’s statement that a planned 665-bed 20-storey building in Devil’s Tower Road will be used primarily to house workers, including many who “may be foreign.”

In a statement, the party said the news would be “a disappointing blow” for people who believed the development was also intended to alleviate the historical demand for one-room publicly-owned flats, or for others on housing waiting lists.

The GSD was responding to comments made by Sir Joe Bossano during an interview on GBC.

“Only a few days ago Action for Housing had welcomed the development and asked some relevant questions on the management and running of the development,” the party said.

“It seems clear now that not only will those questions be unanswered but that this building will do very little to sort out the hundreds of persons on the 1RKB housing list or any other persons on lists for larger accommodation.”

Shadow Housing Minister Edwin Reyes added: “People who have spent years on the housing lists will be disappointed today.”

“Days after a public announcement that seemed to many to be partly for housing allocation the Government has confirmed that in practice it is for something completely different.”