Plans are underway to redevelop government apartment complexes in Colombo District that are over 40 years old, National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) officials told Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development.
The committee, chaired by MP S.M. Marikkar, was informed that 45 apartment projects in the district comprising around 10,000 housing units fall into this category.
Officials said technical and valuation reports on the current condition of the buildings will be obtained, and the redevelopment is expected to be implemented through a public-private partnership model.
MP Marikkar instructed officials to submit a comprehensive report within a month detailing the implementation plan, including arrangements for current residents.
The meeting also highlighted around 45,000 housing units initiated between 2015 and 2019 that were left incomplete. Authorities have now formulated a plan to finish these constructions within three years.
Officials noted challenges in attracting investment for condominium developments, prompting the committee to instruct the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing to propose a legally viable mechanism to improve inter-ministerial coordination and speed up permit issuance.
Additionally, MPs directed the Urban Development Authority to explore expanding the “One Stop Shop” project, currently operating in the Western Province, to other regions.
MPs Manjula Suraveera Arachchi, Ravindra Bandara, Jagath Vithana, and Geetha Herath, along with representatives from the NHDA, Urban Development Authority, Condominium Management Authority, and Condominium Developers Association of Sri Lanka, attended the meeting.
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