Gov’t Regularisation of Informal Settlements Will Not Displace Residents – PM Holness

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is urging Jamaicans not to fear Government efforts to regularise informal communities, assuring that these actions will not lead to the displacement of residents.

He gave this assurance while addressing residents of The Hills of Spicy Grove Infrastructure Project in Oracabessa, St. Mary, on April 24.

Dr. Holness noted that recent experiences, including the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, have highlighted the risks faced by persons living in vulnerable, informally settled areas.

He recalled a previous visit to the community, during which residents expressed concern about being removed from lands they had occupied and developed without formal arrangements.

“There was actually a move to take them off… because they were irregularly and improperly settling the land,” the Prime Minister said.

He explained that the Government instead opted to purchase the land on behalf of the occupants, but encountered challenges due to the level of development that had already taken place.

“The level of intervention… was limited because people had already gone way ahead in putting up some very well-built structures,” Dr. Holness noted.

He added that the absence of proper planning required the Government to conduct a resurvey of the area to facilitate the development of roadways and other infrastructure.

“They were not properly organised. So when we came in, we had to do a resurvey of the area to mark out where the roads could go. Luckily, we were able to reclaim some space, and this is why today we can stand here with enough driving space to take us up,” Dr. Holness said.

Against this background, he emphasised that all citizens are entitled to benefit from public resources.

“Every Jamaican has equal claim on the tax revenues of the country,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that Government intervention is intended to uplift communities rather than disrupt them.

“I’m using this… as an example to communities right across Jamaica. There is no need to fear the Government intervening to improve your community,” Dr. Holness said.

He pointed out that residents in the referenced community were not displaced and were not made worse off as a result of the regularisation process.

Dr. Holness said the initiative forms part of a broader national effort to bring order to informal settlements.

“I want all Jamaicans… to appreciate that we are in a new era of resettling Jamaica,” he stated, noting that Spicy Grove was among several communities earmarked for intervention.

“It is not my intention, [nor that of] any member of the Government, to dispossess persons. But because we have had 50 years or more of informal settlement, when we intervene, we will have to reorganise the settlements… but on the basis that no one is made worse off,” the Prime Minister added.

Dr. Holness emphasised that this approach will safeguard the value of existing structures while enhancing living conditions and strengthening resilience against environmental threats.

“We’re not going to do it in a way that we take you from your concrete house and put you in a board house. We must respect what you had before, realise the value in what you had, compensate you appropriately and put you in a position where your house is not threatened by environmental and climatic factors,” he added.

Dr. Holness also reassured that Government support will be extended equitably to all Jamaicans, regardless of political affiliation.

“Once you’re a Jamaican, you are entitled to the support and intervention of the State,” he declared, adding that under his leadership “there is no bias, no prejudice, no favouritism.”