Former Olympic Gardens Police Station Building Earmarked For Housing Development

The building previously serving as the Olympic Gardens Police Station in St. Andrew West Central, is to be transformed to provide housing solutions.

This in keeping with the Government’s thrust to further boost Jamaica’s housing stock.

Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure during a tour of the structure on Friday (February 4).

Mr. Holness, who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency, said the building, which has been situated at the Bay Farm Villas housing scheme block for over 40 years, was showing “significant deterioration” from being overused as a police station, noting “it wasn’t built for [that] purpose.”

He indicated that the building will be renovated, with the works to include electrical, plumbing and general infrastructure upgrades.

Prime Minister Holness advised that the project will be financed through the West Central St. Andrew Trust, and spearheaded by the Ministry of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, and the National Land Agency.

“[They] would have control over this to allow the Trust to upgrade it, refurbish it and, through a certain mechanism, make it available to beneficiaries in the constituency,” he further pointed out.

Mr. Holness also disclosed that one unit will be retained “to be used as a [shelter] for the police.”

“We note that there are many police officers who have to travel long distances and aren’t able to find places to rent close to the station they work. Indeed, some of them work overtime and they will need a location where they can stay,” he said.

Additionally, another unit will be used as a community centre for the residents of Bay Farm Villas.

“The rest we will use to [relocate] persons from other areas in the constituency where other housing projects are going to be built, [which] is always a challenge. When we have to build on irregularly settled land, the people who are there often have no place to [reside] and it becomes a real challenge,” Mr. Holness disclosed.

“With these five units that we will retain, we will be able to take some families off the existing plots that we intend to develop… develop them, return them and move to another set,” the Prime Minister further added.

Mr. Holness said the project forms part of the “Government’s commitment [to provide] 70,000 new housing solutions.”

“Some will be provided through a market mechanism, some will be provided by a subsidy or through public means. Some will be provided through charitable and private means, such as this, and some will be provided as free housing for persons who are justified as beneficiaries,” the Prime Minister indicated.