After several promises and hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditure, the Red House restoration project should be completed by November 2018.
The $440m project, which is being managed by UDeCOTT, “is going according to schedule.”
The update was given during a tour of the building yesterday.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who is also the chair of a Cabinet sub-committee overseeing several restoration projects, said he was “very pleased” with the progress made on returning the Parliament to its rightful home.
Work on the Red House began 19 years ago, with UDeCOTT assuming responsibility for the project in 2005. Six years ago, the Parliament relocated to its temporary home at the Waterfront Complex, Tower D, Port-of-Spain to accommodate much-needed repairs to the iconic building.
“I am very excited about the completion and what is going to be produced here,” Rowley told reporters.
He lamented the delays in completing the project and the amount of money spent over several years, saying “a lot of people got rich trying promising to refurbish this building.”
“Everything that is going on now is what should have gone on in the beginning,” he said.
A $600m administrative complex, scheduled to be part of the project, has been scrapped because of the State’s financial position. Instead, Rowley says Cabildo Chambers which is across the street will be converted to house administrative and other staff, as he acknowledged there is a need for additional space.
“The Red House alone cannot properly accommodate and service the Parliament,” he said, telling reporters once all tenants are at Cabildo have vacated, UDeCOTT will prepare the building to house the additional parliamentary support services.
Rowley admitted it was nostalgic returning to the building where he gave his first contribution when he entered politics, saying it took him a while to get his bearings.