Government’s big plan for Bernard Lodge lands

n Seventeen thousand houses, light manufacturing plants, and agro-processing facilities.

• Several educational facilities from primary to tertiary level.

• Fire and health facilities (at various levels) as well as post offices, transportation centres, and mixed commercial facilities.

• Integration of water, sewerage, road and transportation, and drainage with the surrounding community.

• Consideration will be given to population growth, existing land use and projected needs, the existing aquifer protection zone, transportation and traffic demands and other economic, sociocultural and environmental factors.

• The implementation of stringent built-in conditionalities to protect the integrity of the underground water resources. These include the implementation of buffer and no-build zones to protect existing water resources, limiting underground pollution through the provision of central treatment of sewerage (no on-site treatment), a regime to efficiently manage solid waste and the exclusion of heavy industries development within the development area.

• The designation of size able open spaces, drainage and aquifer recharge areas to protect and preserve the natural environment.

• The retention of a significant portion of the lands for agricultural use and the imposition of a moratorium to prevent any further change of use of the said lands.

• Entrenchment of the Bernard Lodge master plan within the St Catherine and Portmore Development Orders which are currently being finalised and the implementation of pre- and post-development compliance monitoring supported by robust enforcement regime to ensure compliance.

• Implementation of an enterprise oversight committee to ensure the full and coherent implementation and management of the master plan.