St. Thomas Poised for Housing Boom – PM Holness
By: , May 20, 2025
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), looks on as Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, cuts the ribbon to mark the official handover of a new home to St. Thomas resident, Carline Williams (second left). She was among the beneficiaries in the parish who received keys to homes under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) from Prime Minister Holness on May 15. Also sharing the moment are (from left) Member of Parliament for St. Thomas Eastern, Dr. Michelle Charles, and Principal Finance Officer in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Judith Robb Walters.The Full Story
Significant developments in St. Thomas are expected to fuel a housing boom across the parish, according to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
He gave this assurance while addressing citizens of Highbury Crescent in Morant Bay on May 15, during a handover ceremony for a unit awarded to New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) beneficiary, Carline Williams.
“This parish literally is on the frontier of new development, and one area in which there is going to be significant development in St. Thomas is in the area of housing,” he stated.
Dr. Holness emphasised that large-scale housing development cannot be undertaken without adequate infrastructure, noting that work completed in the parish, so far, will open doors for further growth.
“It is the water mains that we have laid, it is the sewer in certain sections…. the new road infrastructure; it is the conduit for internet and other sensors that we will be putting in. It is a complete infrastructure that makes other kinds of activity possible,” he maintained.
Dr. Holness highlighted the “many acres” of unutilised or underutilised lands across St. Thomas which, he noted, “you could not develop… because you didn’t have proper road infrastructure, water infrastructure, electricity”. “Now [that] all of that is in place, you’re going to see an explosion of housing in St. Thomas, because housing depends on infrastructure [and] it also depends on location. Because St. Thomas is in proximity to Kingston, you’re going to see the development that would have overcrowded Kingston slowly find its way into St. Thomas. So, the parish is set for great economic growth and development,” the Prime Minister declared.
Dr. Holness reiterated that St. Thomas is on the cutting edge of development, citing the roads, water supply systems and the newly opened Morant Bay Urban Centre as the catalysts that will drive this.
The Prime Minister visited the parish for the Centre’s official opening and the handover of keys to four units under the New Social Housing Programme.