Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent last night accused the Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP) of ?politicising? the issue of additional low rent Government housing at Prospect with its call not to develop the area further.

The UBP gave notice on Friday of a motion it planned to table which would reject plans to build more housing in the St. Mary Victoria Road and Alexandria Road area on the grounds that it would have a negative impact ?economically, socially and psychologically?.

Mr. DeVent is challenging the UBP to offer a constructive solution to the housing crisis.

?The notion that no houses be built at Prospect raises concerns with me,? he said. ?Although I?m not surprised, I?m very disappointed that they would choose to politicise an issue as important as housing. The fact of the matter is I am charged with providing housing for Bermudians and it will involve making tough decisions and also involves compromises from almost everyone. We are going to have to compromise as a community if we hope to address this problem. And if a Shadow Minister is saying he wants no more houses there I would challenge him to say where would he begin to build houses in the immediate future.?

Government wants to add 34 more units to the complex but the plans are being vigorously opposed by residents who say that it would be unsafe and lower the quality of life in the area.

On Friday one group of residents filed into parliament to demonstrate their outrage at seeing a planning application for the building project posted in the official gazette.

Mr. DeVent said he was not aware that the planning application had gone ahead and that the plans were not set in stone.

?We are going to have to make compromises and we might find ourselves living a little closer than we would like,? Mr. DeVent added.

He repeated an earlier statement that he intended to meet with the residents who opposed the plans ?and hopefully come to a compromise that would please them and other families looking for housing.?