LAMP Stages Land Regularisation Meetings

Residents of Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth and St. Thomas are being urged to participate in a series of community meetings being undertaken by the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP), to highlight the importance of acquiring land titles.
The meetings, which are conducted by field officers, are already underway in various communities in the targeted parishes and will be ongoing.
Public Relations Officer at LAMP, Marcia Rodriques, told JIS News that the sessions are being undertaken in an effort to address the problem of land tenure in the island. The meetings will be held Mondays to Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m and the schedule is as follows:
Mondays – St. Aidian Mission Church in Bull Savannah, St. Elizabeth; and the St. Michael’s Anglican Church in New Forest, Manchester.
Tuesdays – National Irrigation Commission Cottage in Hounslow, St. Elizabeth.
Wednesdays – Treasure Beach Seventh Day Church of God (except on the first Wednesday of the month), St. Elizabeth; John Austin Baptist Church in Pennants, Clarendon; and the Methodist Church Hall in Port Morant, St. Thomas.
Thursdays – Balaclava Community Centre and the Siloah New Testament Church of God, St. Elizabeth; and the Shiloh Church of Christ Apostolic Baillieston, Clarendon from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Ms. Rodriques is advising persons to take with them to the meetings, proper photo identification and all documentation relating to the particular property by are seeking to regularise. During the sessions, interviews will be conducted to find out how the lands were acquired, among other things. “If they don’t have the necessary documentation, we advise them on what to do before we can proceed,” she informed.
Instituted in 2000 through funding from the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), LAMP assists persons to regularise land ownership, allowing them to procure loans from banks and other lending institutions and increase their income earning potential.
“We assist persons in getting titles for their lands at a very reasonable cost,” Ms. Rodriques informed, noting that beneficiaries are assisted with survey work, reports and legal services.
There is also provision for the waiver of transfer tax and stamp duty on lands acquired by way of gift, while all the fees charged are based on the unimproved value of the land on the tax roll.
More than 2000 persons have been assisted to obtain their land titles under LAMP since 2000. For additional information, persons may contact the LAMP offices at 927-1731.