Housing Development Coming For Innswood St. Catherine

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced major plans for the development of Innswood in St. Catherine.

Speaking at the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) certificates of title handover ceremony in Naseberry Villa, St. Catherine recently, Dr. Holness said the area’s location and potential make it “very good for housing development”.

“We’re going to, first, look at the drainage for the area… see how the water flows and where we can best channel it, the safest way to protect the land… . Then we’re going to study the traffic flows… [and] figure out how we’re going to build the transportation corridors that don’t create congestion,” he said.

The Prime Minister noted that the greater Innswood development will stretch “from up here in the hills, going all the way down to the plains to Innswood… back down to Old Harbour Road”.

Critical infrastructure needs will also be addressed, including roads, drainage, water supply, electricity, and social spaces.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that the master plan will prioritise green spaces, entertainment and commercial areas.

The planning process will be guided by a joint committee comprising the National Housing Trust (NHT), the HAJ, the National Water Commission (NWC), the National Works Agency (NWA), and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).

Dr. Holness explained that after the master plan is completed, most of the infrastructure costs will be covered by the government.

He, however, informed that developers interested in constructing houses in the area will be required to pay an “impact fee… to subsidise the cost of the infrastructure, which is going to be paid from public funds”.

Dr. Holness assured residents that their community will be “an integral part of the master plan” benefiting from improved roads, reliable utilities, and designated lands for social amenities.