A contractor has expressed interest in building three-bedroom homes on vacant plots in Haa Alif Utheemu on a commercial basis.

Utheemu council president Abdulla Rasheed told Mihaaru News that about 180 plots on the island remain undeveloped, including plots where old houses have not been replaced.

He said a private contractor has proposed constructing homes on the vacant plots, with the cost repaid over 20 years. The proposal includes either a three-bedroom apartment or a three-bedroom house.

“They are building houses on a commercial basis. They are not building these houses for free. I don’t want to say who they are yet,” Rasheed said.

He said the council was working to develop vacant plots to make housing more accessible to residents and has invited people interested in participating in the project to register their interest.

Under the proposal, homeowners can choose from three designs presented by the contractor, Rasheed said.

“We have given two options. They are to build a three-bedroom flat or a three-bedroom house. We have opened it to see how much interest there is. A contractor will not come to build two houses,” he said.

The council has asked residents interested in the project to complete and submit the online form by 6 September.