KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government is committed to rebuilding townships across Jamaica.
He commented as he delivered the keynote address during the World Town Planning Day Symposium at the National Housing Trust on Wednesday under the theme ‘Building Resilient Communities and Cities through Smart Solutions.’
“The Government recognizes that the infrastructure that we have was built at a time long ago and did not conceive of Jamaica today or the future of Jamaica. Planning is an integral part of this Administration,” Holness said.
Giving an update on the three townships being developed, Holness said the Goodyear Factory in the eastern parish of St. Thomas, which was idle for decades, is now being transformed into the Morant Bay Urban Centre.
“It is not just building a town. We have built a roadway that we have projected will carry the traffic from opening up that area. It’s a fine infrastructure,” he said, adding that drains, fiber-optic cables, sewerage, and water mains are being installed.
The Prime Minister shared that a master plan has been created for Portland – also in the east, and work is well underway to develop a small town center for the administrative functions of the parish.
“That is the development of the Boundbrook area. I believe we’re going to develop seven acres of land. Then we’re going to develop the recently destroyed market and some other areas until we execute the master plan,” Mr. Holness explained.
Turning to Bernard Lodge in St. Catherine, which will have about 10,000 to 15,000 housing solutions and an urban center, the Prime Minister said it “will set that area well on its way to become Jamaica’s 15th parish”.
He added that similar plans are being developed for Lucea and Negril in Hanover and Westmoreland.
Meanwhile, Holness advised that the National Works Agency (NWA) will be inspecting government buildings more following the 5.6-magnitude earthquake on October 30.
“Sometimes structural faults happen that don’t immediately reveal themselves. We have the engineering capacities. They’re not all in Government, but we need to leverage them. So, the University of Technology, the University of the West Indies [and] the private engineers, there has to be a process by which they’re all brought together. I know the [municipal corporations have] some capabilities, and they are doing the inspections,” he said.
The Prime Minister assured Jamaicans that the Government’s response to the earthquake did not end the day after but is an “ongoing response for preparedness.”
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