Caribbean News
JAMAICA: PM says Municipalities Must Enforce Town and Country Regulations for Planned Housing
#Montego Bay, October 19, 2018 – Jamaica – Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the local municipalities have a vital role to play in ensuring that the various Town and Country regulations relating to planned housing and development are enforced.
Speaking at the handover of 58 detached two-bedroom units at Castlewood in Granville, Trelawny, on October 17, the Prime Minister emphasised that this kind of oversight is necessary to prevent communities from degenerating into lawlessness and where the space is created for the emergence of “dons”.
Mr. Holness said that he has seen communities that started out with wonderful intentions being dragged down the road to nowhere by unsavoury elements.
“Local Government is so important to community development. The parish council is the local government and has to play a critical role in ensuring that communities are developed in such a way so as to maintain the value that was invested,” he explained.
“Too often I have seen communities with lovely homes and everything… take a turn for the worst. Before you know it, there is a bar, a garage, a beauty salon, a supermarket… and I have seen cases where people even come and set up funeral parlours. I have also seen persons parking big tractors in front of homes and where community residents are too afraid to say anything about it,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Holness said the notion that “man have to live” cannot be used as a justification to promote lawlessness, adding that the good of the community must always take precedence over selfish and self-serving behaviour. He added that once the floodgates are allowed to open, it becomes a case where everything starts falling apart, to the point where lawlessness, chaos and mayhem become the new way of life.
“Before you know it, there is also now a gambling house where criminals are allowed the space to take over the community. Before you know it, the community you have invested in is no longer the community in which you want to live,” the Prime Minister added.
Mr. Holness said that it is against this background that the municipalities will have to step up to the plate to ensure that laws are enforced and that law-abiding citizens are protected from the whims and fancies of those who have dedicated their lives to doing wrong.
The Prime Minister also issued a word of caution to informal settlers, saying that gone are the days when the practice of simply going on someone else’s property to “squat” will be tolerated or even entertained.
“I think all Jamaicans must now come to the recognition that you can’t just settle anywhere you choose anymore… . You can’t just stick up two piece of zinc,” the Prime Minister warned.
“We understand the need for housing. We understand the historical challenges. However, we cannot allow that kind of unplanned development to continue,” he said.
Mr. Holness said it is against this backdrop that the National Housing Trust (NHT) has been tasked to build more affordable housing solutions to bring persons in the mainstream, where they can also get “their piece of the rock”.
“It must also be noted that the NHT is not just about building more houses. The NHT is also here to lead the development of planned housing solutions, so everyone can have a fair chance at not just owning their own homes, but where they can live in a decent community and have access to potable water, electricity, reliable garbage collection and roads,” he said.
The NHT carried out the Castlewood project at a cost of $190.9 million, with the cost per unit ranging from $11.5 million to $12.08 million.
Release: JIS
Contact: Garwin Davis
Photo Caption: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left), shares a moment with a happy Stacy-Ann Miller (second left) and husband Richard Miller, after presenting them with the keys to their new home in Castlewood, Granville, Trelawny, on October 17. The ceremony was held to hand over 58 detached two-bedroom units. Also enjoying the moment is the Millers’ daughter, Antonia.
Garwin Davis photo
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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