Government Looking to Better Utilise State Owned Lands

Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is examining how state-owned lands can be better organised and utilised to support structured communities, while preserving critical agricultural areas.

Addressing residents during a land titling ceremony at the Lacovia Community Centre in St. Elizabeth on Friday (December 12), Prime Minister Holness said there is a deliberate effort to bring government lands under closer review.

“We must bring all those lands together under a portfolio for our examination to see how we can start to, as we say in Jamaica, cut up the land,” Dr. Holness stated.

He said that while several agencies already hold lands, careful planning is required to determine how they can be used effectively.

“The National Land Agency (NLA) has [also] provided us with several thousand acres, several thousand zoned lots,” the Prime Minister noted.

Dr. Holness also emphasised the importance of protecting productive agricultural lands, while acknowledging the need for balance in land-use planning.

“The Minister of Agriculture is very firm in not giving up any land for settlement and I can’t fight that. We need to preserve agricultural land,” he said.

He however added that some lands may need to be repurposed, to meet housing and settlement needs.

“We have to look at all lands and there may be some lands that are marginal that may have to go into housing and land settlement,” Dr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister said these decisions are especially important as the country plans for the future, adding that the Government remains focused on long-term planning that supports citizens, while responding to evolving challenges.