Persons In Westmoreland Receive Land Titles
By: , July 19, 2025
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second left) presents White House, Westmoreland resident Wayne Parry (second right) with his land title, during a ceremony hosted by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), at the Hotel Comingle in Savanna-la- Mar on Friday ( July 18) . Looking on (from left) are Managing Director of the HAJ, Doreen Prendergast and HAJ Chairman, Norman Scott.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Holness, (left) addresses a land title ceremony hosted by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) at the Hotel Comingle in Savanna-la- Mar on Friday ( July 18) .The Full Story
Some 86 residents from several communities in Westmoreland on Friday (July 18), received their land titles from the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), during a ceremony held at the Hotel Comingle in Savanna-la-Mar.
The beneficiaries are from communities such as White House, Whitehall, Llandilo, Seaton Crescent, Galloway, and Hermitage in Bethel Town.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness underscored the significance of the occasion.
“Today is a day of immense pride. We are here to advance a vision of broad-based land and home ownership in Jamaica. Eighty-six of you… will walk away from this ceremony with a document that has eluded you and many others for far too long – a certificate of title. And with that piece of paper, you will walk literally into a new life,” Dr. Holness said.
“You will walk with your head high [and] you will walk with confidence. Nobody can come and tell you to ‘move from here’,” he added.
Prime Minister Holness also reiterated the government’s commitment to formal land settlement, noting that “the policy of any government, and certainly the government that I administer on your behalf, is to make sure that every Jamaican can have a title to a piece of Jamaica.”
He said the approach now being taken is to ensure that people are settled fully with infrastructure in place, rather than occupying land informally.
“When we are going to settle people, settle them fully, and then allow them to pay for it over time. That is the approach of the government,” Dr. Holness said.
He credited the HAJ for its role in the regularisation of several informal settlements across the island, noting that the agency has been investing in developing these communities.
“We spend billions of dollars each year trying to regularise many of these informal settlements,” he stated.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged that the titling process remains complex, but assured residents that the government will continue to expand its efforts to deliver legal ownership.