Plans still intact for housing on former Trelawny sugar lands – Dalrymple-Philibert

WESTERN BUREAU:

While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the plans by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) to start construction on some 800 low-income houses on 148 acres of former sugar lands at Panarsus in Trelawny, Marissa Dalrymple-Philibert, member of parliament (MP) for Trelawny Southern, says the plans remain intact.

With some 3,600 acres of sugar lands left in seeming neglect after the closing of the Long Pond Sugar Factory in Clark’s Town, Trelawny, the Government, through the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ), has decided to utilise the lands for housing and agriculture.

“The houses will be built to satisfy the increasing demand for housing, with the growing population in the parish,” said Dalrymple-Philibert. “The building of new hotel rooms and the requisite need for workers to come into the area is one reason for the need to construct these housing solutions.”

According to Dalrymple-Philibert, had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, the project would have been at an advanced stage, as the project was announced to have commenced in January 2021.

“The Government had to put the building of the houses on hold as it dealt with COVID-19, but the plans have not been shelved; the houses will be constructed,” the MP said.

The plan to build houses on what is considered prime agricultural lands has not gone down well with several stakeholders, including the Opposition People’s National Party.

“The decision taken to use 148 acres of sugar lands to build houses was a mistake and deserves rethinking,” said opposition Senator Sonia Frazer-Binns, who believes the lands should stay in agriculture.

At the time the decision was made, former Agriculture Minister Floyd Green said that the lands earmarked for housing were the sections of the property that are not suitable for agriculture but had to be utilised.

However, there appears to be no turning back as it relates to the building of the houses. According to Dalrymple-Philbert, she will be touring the area shortly with HAJ Chairman Norman Brown and other HAJ representatives to finalise plans.

“The chairman of HAJ, Norman Brown, and myself will be touring the area soon. We want to ensure that it will be a proper development following government guidelines,” said Dalrymple-Philbert.

The MP said she has received information that unauthorised persons are moving on to a section of the property and are constructing permanent structures, which she is totally opposed to.

“This is not what is desired. The people occupying the land must realise that we do not want problems when the development begins. A land titling exercise is being planned, and they must wait,” the MP said.