Gov`t Advancing Relocation of Parottee Residents

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is actively advancing plans for the relocation of vulnerable residents in Parottee, St. Elizabeth.

The fishing community suffered significant damage when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28, 2025, destroying homes and upending livelihoods.

Addressing the groundbreaking for the Luana housing development in the parish on September 23, Dr. Holness said that the relocation process will be entirely voluntary and dignified.

“Residents will not be forcibly dispossessed of their lands,” the Prime Minister stated, noting that the objective is to transition families into structured, resilient communities where their quality of life is protected and enhanced.

Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), Major Antony Anderson, will be working closely with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) on the relocation exercise.

Their immediate mandate is to identify and secure suitable, serviced lots for Parottee residents who choose to move.

Dr. Holness said that a rigorous identification and beneficiary management system will guide the resettlement process.

Eligible families are expected to be integrated into existing regional projects, such as the Luana development and other HAJ-financed initiatives.

To ensure maximum transparency and accountability, participating residents will be required to properly register using the National Identification System (NIDS) and Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN).

This robust data collection will enable the State to accurately allocate lots or housing units and seamlessly deliver any financial assistance through secure digital transfers.

The Prime Minister said that the Government will ensure that all relocation sites are fully equipped with the necessary infrastructure, including modern sewer systems, roads and utilities, to make the lots immediately habitable and sustainable.

Funding for these developments will utilise a blended financial model.

The projects will be driven by HAJ internal resources alongside private-sector financing, a model already successfully demonstrated by the partly bank-funded Luana project.

Profits generated from these joint ventures will be directly reinvested into building supporting infrastructure and constructing additional homes for vulnerable citizens.

NaRRA and the HAJ are tasked with accelerating the procurement and assessment phases.

The immediate next steps involve the registration and needs-assessment of Parottee residents, concurrent with the engineering and infrastructure designs required to prepare the new settlement lots.