By Rochelle Williams
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – Prime minister, Andrew Holness, on Friday, October 29 launched the Victoria Palm housing development, which will provide sustainable, climate-resilient housing solutions for residents of Western Kingston.
It will benefit persons experiencing economic challenges, which would preclude them from formal homeownership.
The project, to be undertaken in three components, will involve the construction of single, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units; upgrading/construction of infrastructure for multi-family housing arrangements on land parcels (tenement yards); and temporary relocation of the approximately 200 beneficiaries for the duration of the development period.
Residents will be able to access formal titles for their respective units. Prime minister Holness said that the initiative forms part of the government’s commitment to provide 70,000 affordable housing solutions to the people of Jamaica.
“The government is moving ahead with its commitment towards the 70,000 new housing solutions. […] In that 70,000 there is a house there for you. We believe that good shelter is a right and we are going to do everything in our power to ensure that you can benefit from one of these shelter solutions,” he told the residents.
Minister of housing, urban renewal, environment and climate change, Pearnel Charles Jr. said that the initiative is an example of the government redefining its approach to providing shelter solutions to ensure they are more accessible, affordable and climate-resilient.
“We are working to reinvigorate our urban centres in order to achieve a balance between economic viability and environmental sustainability, in order to restore the environment, particularly in [areas] that are degraded, and reduce the impact of climate change so that all of us can have an improved quality of life,” he said.
The virtual launch also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the participating ministries – local government and rural development; housing, urban renewal, environment and climate change; and economic growth and job creation – and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).
Funding for the project will be provided through the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme.
The development will see proper infrastructure being put in place such as water, sewerage, and electricity, as well as access to green spaces.
A needs assessment will be conducted, which will determine the appropriate unit allocation for beneficiaries. This will be followed by a rigourous procurement and review process prior to approval by an overview committee.
The tender process for the development project is now under way.
