Caribbean News
JAMAICA: PM Breaks Ground for $860-Million Housing Project in Maxfield Park
#Kingston, October 5, 2018 – Jamaica – The standard of living of residents of Maxfield Park in St. Andrew is expected to be greatly improved 
with the development of an $860-million housing project in the community.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, today (October 3), broke ground for the Maxfield Park Development Project, which will see the construction of another 210 housing solutions for National Housing Trust (NHT) contributors. Mr. Holness said through these housing development projects, the Government aims to give all Jamaicans the euphoric experience of owning their own home.
“It’s not just getting the better housing solutions, but just changing the way that people live can literally transform and uplift the lives of the people,” he said.
The project, which is being undertaken by the NHT, will involve the development of 6.14 acres of land along Ricketts Crescent where, initially, the entity will conduct preparatory works to include demolition and removal of some existing structures; disconnection and removal of informal water and electrical distribution systems.
The Prime Minister noted that the project was conceived over a decade ago and is one of the housing projects the Government pulled out of the pipeline and brought to the point of implementation.
“It makes no sense that you have wonderful concepts, wonderfully well-laid plans, but at the end of the day, it’s not implemented. So the (new) mandate (of the NHT) was to expedite the implementation of housing projects,” he said. Mr. Holness noted that the NHT, which was initially given a target of 15,000 housing solutions, now intends to provide 23,000 units for Jamaicans by 2021.
In the meantime, Leader of the Opposition, and Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Peter Phillips, welcomed the project, which he said represented “continuity in policy”.
“What is important is that the present Government came and found a project that was under way and… they continued with the project. I want to personally say thanks and express my appreciation,” he said.
He also praised residents of the Maxfield Park community for their patience in “staying the course”, for attending sessions with the NHT, and becoming NHT contributors.
A social-intervention programme has been in progress in the community since 2017, with one component being encouraging and improving NHT compliance. The infrastructure works for the project, which is slated to begin in March 2019, will include paved roads with kerbs, storm-water 
drains and a centralised sewage-collection system.
The development will also comprise a potable water-distribution system, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) pole line electrical distribution system with street lights, as well as road markings.
Construction of the housing units is scheduled to begin in October 2019. The project forms part of the multifaceted Community Renewal Programme (CRP), financed by the Government of Jamaica and international development partners, which is designed to address living conditions in communities islandwide that are deemed the most socially problematic.
It addresses community empowerment, housing, sanitation and waste disposal, economic opportunity, recreation, dispute resolution and crime, among other things. The programme aims to reach 100 of the most volatile and vulnerable communities in Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon and Montego Bay.
Release: JIS
Contact: Alicia Smith
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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