Jaded from years of uncertainty, residents of Dockyard’s Victoria and Albert Row housing expressed guarded approval for Government’s decision not to demolish the buildings.But in the absence of information, the occupants of the 150-year-old homes say they’re in the dark as to what comes next.Government’s plans for the West End Development Corporation to knock down the houses and move occupants into prefabricated housing was attacked by the One Bermuda Alliance when the party was in Opposition — and new Public Works Minister Trevor Moniz last week announced that the original housing would be spared.Instead of building 100 new prefab units, a scaled-down 16 apartments will be built.However, tenants of Victoria and Albert Row are to be relocated, and the ageing buildings restored, at an unspecified time.Residents asked not to be named for this article.“These old houses are strong,” one woman said, standing outside her parents’ old home where she now resides. “The outside looks rough because it’s been allowed to run down. We take care of these places ourselves.”She said she was glad to hear the rows would get renovated, but added: “Are they really going to do it? They could have done it years ago.“By now we could have moved out and moved back in. The whole thing is one big ball of confusion.”She asked The Royal Gazette if the proposed relocation was to be temporary. As yet, there is no official word.“Wedco haven’t met with us to tell us,” she said. “We haven’t met since God knows when.”Mr Moniz indicated that, in time, tenants of the old housing will be divided between the 16 new apartments and other Wedco accommodation.“I don’t want to move to Boaz Island,” the tenant said.As for relocation, she added: “We don’t want to be moved away. Not at all.”Although many of the terrace homes stand vacant or even derelict, a tight-knit core of residents socialise together, she said.“We look out for one another here.”Given the choice, she said: “I’d rather these places got renovated and we moved back in. Those new houses they’re putting in are going to be a lot smaller.”The area was closely contested in the December general election, with Progressive Labour Party incumbent Michael Scott narrowly defeating the OBA challenger Ray Charlton.Mr Charlton, who vociferously opposed the former government’s plans for the housing, defended the wishes of Victoria and Albert residents to keep their homes during his electoral campaign, and called for a revitalisation of the Sandys North community.A 30-year resident a few doors down on Victoria Row said that many residents had given up on maintaining their properties once the demolition had seemed inevitable.But she expressed ambivalence about moving.“Right now, I don’t know anything that’s supposed to be going on. Things in these houses are definitely starting to deteriorate.“But if Government have no money to do repairs, I wonder what’s going to be the outcome.”She described her attitude as “Why should I move?”Another elderly resident in the adjoining Albert Row housing said she was “glad they’re not knocking them down”, but said her main fear was to get moved into expensive accommodation.“I can’t afford no two or three thousand,” she said.Relocation “wouldn’t bother me, as long as they put me back here”, she said.Leaks, damp and collapsing ceiling were her main complaints when it came to the soundness of the buildings.Although she knew that the demolition option had been discarded, the resident said she had heard nothing further and was accustomed not to.“I don’t know, and they don’t know themselves,” she added.