by ROY R. MORRIS

2006 WILL BE A YEAR of construction in Barbados.

And Barbadians can expect to see tens of millions of foreign dollars rolling in to support it.

Industry sources are warning, however, that while the boom will bring many jobs and much income, ordinary Barbadians hoping to undertake home construction or improvement will be hard pressed to find materials or labour, given the large number of massive commercial projects with which they will have to compete.

Barbadians borrowing money to add apartments to their homes in time to catch some of the Cricket World Cup 2007 visitor traffic could end up disappointed. One home owner reported being told by a prospective contractor this weekend: "You can't be serious about doing this next [this] year? You could as well start thinking about 2007!"

Here's just a taste of what the competition will be like for people in home construction:

* Kensington Oval redevelopment in full swing this year – $90 million.

*
The new state-of-the art prison in St Philip to replace Glendairy – more than $100 million.

* Expansion of the University of the West Indies onto the Lazaretto site at Black Rock – $25 million.

* ABC Highway expansion and construction of flyovers – $120 million.

* Apes Hill golf project (overall US$400 million) – this year, US$100 million.

* Phase 2 of Waterhall, St James Polo project – $160 million.

* Phase 4 of Millennium Heights on the St Michael/St Thomas border – $20 million.

* New seven-storey office complex at Warrens – $30 million.

* The 500-house Lakes Retirement Community at Mount Brevitor, St Peter moves into full swing – $150 million.

* New mall opposite Automotive Art at Welches, St Thomas – US$60 million.

* Clearwater Bay

Resort on old Paradise Beach Resort site – US$300 million.

Construction magnate Sir Charles Williams, agreeing that this year will be "without doubt" the biggest ever for the island as far as construction was concerned, revealed that his organisation was in the final stages of the construction of a new $6 million plant at Lears, St Michael to double its capacity to produce concrete blocks, as well as a new $2 million plant to supply ready-mixed concrete from its fleet of trucks.

"The important thing to keep in mind is that the country will benefit tremendously from a massive injection of foreign exchange from people who want to own homes here," Sir Charles said.

For example, he said, of the 60 lots being prepared in the first phase of the Apes Hill project, 40 have already been sold and "the vast majority has gone to foreigners". Homes valued at between $3 million and $8 million will be constructed on these lots.

Similarly, construction of 20 duplexes has already started at the Waterhall Polo Project, and these are being sold at US$800 000 each. These, Sir Charles said, are also attracting the attention of rich foreigners.

"I can also say for a fact that unless there is some hold-up with planning permission, the Paradise project will also definitely get underway this year. The investors in that project are ready to go," he added.

A major Trinidadian investor is also throwing in millions of dollars in oil money with Barbadian counterparts to built a new Welches Mall on 20 acres of land that until a few years ago was earmarked for a massive K-Mart store.

This new mall, however, will comprise three sections: normal supermarket-type facilities, apparel/boutique outlets, and a massive entertainment-leisure component with family-style restaurants, cinema facilities and bowling alleys.

While all this is taking place, the West Coast condominium craze is also expected to pick up, particularly in St James. Sandy Cove, near Coach House Restaurant in Paynes Bay, will move into high gear; Beachwoods, opposite the Cubana disaster monument in Paynes Bay, will be started; as will Heron Court, 28 townhouses on 4.7 acres near the old Porters Sugar Factory. Each of these is expected to fetch more than $1 million. A new multi-million-dollar luxury golf project is also expected to start at Black Bess, St Peter.

In the midst of all this, along with expansion of the ABC Highway to relieve congestion, some of the worst roads in the island are to be rebuilt, using new technology that will rip up as much as one foot of the existing surface, recompact it, and then lay a new cover with a 15-year guarantee.

roymorris@nationnews.com