CI First Public & Affordable Housing Policy and 10-Year Strategic Plan
The Ministry of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing & Infrastructure has tabled the Cayman Islands’ first-ever Public and Affordable Housing Policy and 10-Year Strategic Plan in Parliament, marking a historic turning point in the country’s approach to housing access, affordability, and long-term national development.
Tabled by Hon. Johany “Jay” Ebanks, MP, Minister for Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing & Infrastructure, the Policy and Strategic Plan establish a national framework to guide public and affordable housing delivery over the next decade. Its core mission is to ensure that every Caymanian has access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing.
The Policy is the result of extensive public consultation, including participation from more than 1,000 residents, over 120 key-informant interviews, and 1,216 survey responses. Town halls were held in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, with input from Little Cayman also reflected in the final framework.
The Plan sets out 98 actionable recommendations, supported by accountability measures, measurable indicators, and realistic timelines. It focuses on three core priorities: building more homes faster; improving affordability for Caymanians; and future-proofing the Islands through stronger planning, infrastructure alignment, and resilient community development.
Minister Ebanks said:
“Today is not just a policy moment. Today is a promise honoured. For the first time, the Cayman Islands has a dedicated national framework for public and affordable housing — one built around Caymanian families, Caymanian dignity, and Caymanian futures.
This Policy and 10-Year Strategic Plan move us beyond short-term responses and into disciplined, coordinated, accountable delivery. Housing is about people. Real people. Real families. Real communities.
Caymanians must have a fair chance in their own home country. This Plan gives us the tools, the structure, and the direction to build more homes, improve affordability, strengthen communities, and secure a future where our people can live, raise families, and retire in the land that carries their name.”
The Policy includes recommendations to streamline permitting, establish statutory timelines, increase capacity through pre-approved house plans, fast-track affordable housing projects, and strengthen coordination through the proposed creation of a Housing Authority. It also identifies tools to improve affordability, including shared equity pathways, lease-to-own models, mortgage guarantees, down-payment support, energy-efficiency incentives, and measures to address speculation, vacancy, and market distortion.
The 10-Year Strategic Plan further supports long-term national development through recommendations linked to the National Development Plan, Area Plans, mixed-use communities, appropriate density, infrastructure investment, climate resilience, and higher-paid Caymanian employment opportunities.
The Ministry will work with the National Housing Development Trust, relevant public agencies, stakeholders, and communities to advance implementation in a phased and disciplined manner.
The tabling of the Policy and Strategic Plan represents a landmark step in modernising housing delivery in the Cayman Islands and establishing a more coordinated, sustainable, and accountable system for the future.
