Phased Handover of Morant Bay Urban Centre Begins in February

A phased handover of the Morant Bay Urban Centre project in St. Thomas is expected to begin mid-February, says Chairman, Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), Lyttleton Shirley.

In an interview with JIS News, he noted that the delay in the project, which was previously expected to be completed by January, is due to natural causes, such as the weather as well as setbacks with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS).

“Better access was delayed because of the attention to the Hurricane situation around the country, so we were very understanding of them (JPS), and they are back and with us now. We are expecting China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to give us a final handover of all the buildings by mid-March, but come the middle of February, we will have a phased handover of some of the buildings,” Mr. Shirley said.

During a tour of the facility on Thursday (January 30) with the British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Judith Slater, and members of her team, Mr. Shirley noted that many different buildings at the facility are swiftly approaching completion.

These include a main commercial building, which will house almost 70 clients; eight warehouses for distribution and manufacturing, six stand-alone buildings, and others.

Once the spaces are completed and handed over to clients, the Chairman said they will be given a three-month preparation and buildout period, because “we provide only a shell for them to do their fit out to suit their operations.”

In addition to the variety of businesses and services that the Centre will boast, Mr. Shirley said that there will be proper security, seamless flow of traffic, and special areas for children and the elderly.

“It must maintain its standard, because it is going to be the blueprint, it’s going to be that pride of St. Thomas, so that everybody who comes here, wherever you come from… you must feel as if it is something that we all are proud of continuously,” Mr. Shirley said.

The Morant Bay Urban Centre is being constructed at a cost of $6 billion by contractors CHEC.

The 28-acre development comprises more than 400,000 square feet and will feature more than 50 public- and private-sector entities in one space.