Hope Estate Leased For 49 Years

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Roger Clarke, says the Hope Estate in St. Andrew, site of the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo, in St. Andrew, is currently being operated by the Nature Preservation Foundation (NPF) Limited, under 49-year lease agreement from the Government.

Responding to questions posed by Opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture, J.C. Hutchinson, during Wednesday’s (June 20) sitting of  the House,  Mr. Clarke said the agreement was negotiated between the lessor, the Commissioner of Lands (National Land Agency – NLA), on behalf of the government, and the NPF, and executed on May 12, 2004, for the leasing of the Estate.

He disclosed that the agreement, which runs until May 31, 2053, commits the NPF to a lease price of $1,000 per annum.

Mr. Clarke further informed the House that the Government, through the Ministry, negotiated a management agreement with the NPF, which serves as collateral for the lease agreement.

“It (management lease) states that the Foundation shall be responsible for the overall planning, development, maintenance and management of the Estate (of which the Hope Gardens is a major part). This responsibility was assumed on the 16th of May 2005,” the Minister noted.

“It also states that the Ministry of Agriculture has oversight for the redevelopment of the Estate. To this end, the Superintendent of Public Gardens of the Ministry shall be on the Management Committee of the Foundation and shall provide technical advice,” he added.

The Minister pointed out that in November 2011, the Hope Zoo was sub-leased to Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation (HZPF), an affiliate of security conglomerate, Guardsman Group, “in accordance with Section 6 (1) of the Lease Agreement between the NLA and NPF.”

Mr. Clarke also advised that, consistent with Cabinet’s approval, the Ministry has been allocating an annual subvention to the NPF, since 2005, to cover recurrent expenses, primarily salaries and travelling allowances.

“The Ministry has sought to preserve the value of subvention by increasing it annually, in line with inflation. Consistent with this principle, the budget for the current financial year is $44,100,000,” he stated.

This figure, the Minister added, includes $4,812,000 for travel expenses, “and represents reimbursements to the officers whose duties include travelling on behalf of the NPF."

Mr. Clarke explained that  the Nature Preservation Foundation Limited is a non-profit, non-government organisation, which is managed by a Board of 20 volunteer Directors, comprising 10 entities and 10 persons, having no financial interest in the organisation. They include Custos of St. Andrew, Hon. Marigold Harding, and Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Marc Panton.

By Douglas McIntosh, JIS Reporter