Call for greater public engagement and transparency

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Last week, there was a public announcement in the media about the groundbreaking of The Pinnacle, a luxury housing development on approximately 17.5 acres of waterfront property located at 2 Reading Pen, St James. It is to be developed by LCH Development Limited and consists of four towers, each 28 stories high with several amenities, including a private club, spa, tennis courts, marina, meandering river, intimate beaches, and swimming pools. The project is not entirely within the Montego Bay Marine Park, but some of its amenities are, including the marina. Of course, land-based impacts to the marine environment can come from all adjacent lands, whether protected or not.

As far as the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has been able to discover, no environmental impact assessment (EIA) nor public consultation on this major development was done. If any other type of environmental assessment was undertaken, it is not available on the National Environment and Planning Agency’s (NEPA) website, where EIAs are usually posted. We understand that an email survey was sent out in 2022 to some members of the public to elicit any concerns, but no timeline for the project was provided at the time.

According to the development’s website, all government approvals were received as of August 2023. They have already started to market the project to potential homeowners/investors. This approach highlights several recurring issues observed in environmental decision-making in Jamaica:

• An EIA is required at the discretion of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority, but it is often unclear why some projects require an EIA and others do not. JET has long argued for mandatory EIAs for projects which pose significant environmental risks.

• There should be greater involvement and engagement of the public regarding projects that require environmental permits, even if no EIA has been required.

• All types of environmental assessments (not just EIAs) and environmental permits should be readily available to the public on NEPA’s website.

JET, once again, is calling for greater transparency and public engagement in the environmental decision-making process. Engagement should go beyond simply seeking public acceptance (which is often the method used in EIAs), and should include consensus-based public dialogue aimed at reaching better decisions.

JAMAICA ENVIRONMENT TRUST