High rise apartments may be springing up in the City of Hamilton, Government said yesterday.

Housing Minister Terry Lister issued a Press statement in which he agreed with a suggestion made by UBP counterpart Wayne Furbert that high rise units ?must be considered?.

But Mr. Lister also accused the Shadow Minister of misleading the public over a number of other housing issues.

Last month, Mr. Lister said high-rise developments would only come into being after two years, and only then ?if we haven?t broken the back of this (housing) problem?.

But yesterday, he said: ?The Government is in agreement with Mr. Furbert that high-rise residential units must be considered and that such developments could be best suited for the City of Hamilton.

?The Government, however, would warn against making units too small and thereby possibly leading to feelings, within the occupants, that they are being ?warehoused?.

?Careful planning will have to go into any high-rise residential development to avoid or, in the very least minimise, the potential for such structures to become slums and havens of social ills.?

Although agreeing with Mr. Furbert on this point, Mr. Lister rubbished many other of Mr. Furbert?s recent claims.

?By giving the impression that the Government is sitting on 30 acres of land that can be used for the building of homes, Mr. Furbert is giving a false vision to the people of Bermuda,? the statement continued.

?The majority, if not all, of the 20 acres referred to are not zoned for development. Mr. Furbert then proceeded to attack the Government over plans to utilise the land at Morgan?s Point, stating that this land should be reserved for future generations. This is land zoned for development.

?We can therefore summarise Mr. Furbert?s suggestion as follows: use the land that is not zoned for development but do not use the land that does have the appropriate zoning.?

He also said the UBP ?truly lacks vision? before adding: ?The Government is well aware of the challenges that the Island faces as it attempts to balance the need for open space with the need for continued development.

?It is through a multi-faceted approach that the Government will meet the challenge of the country?s need for both housing and the preservation of open space.?