PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson has been presented with a report by a working group appointed just over a month ago to craft a plan for the re-development of downtown Kingston.
Michael Ammar Jnr., Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) president and a member of the group, told The Gleaner yesterday that "if accepted, the plans would go a far way in solving the problems downtown."
However, Mr. Ammar declined to disclose the recommendations made in the report until the working group has met and discussed the issues further with the Prime Minister.
In December last year, Mr. Patterson appointed the group, headed by Dr. Vincent Lawrence, chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), to explore options for the revitalisation of downtown Kingston. The appointments followed a meeting at Jamaica House between the Prime Minister and representatives of the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the JCC and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). The meeting was called to discuss the issue of street vending and downtown Kingston's decay.
The report is to form the basis for concrete decisions to be taken at another meeting between stakeholders in downtown Kingston and the Prime Minister.
The working group was given six terms of reference: to explore plans to promote economic development and job creation; to explore the development of Port Royal, Gunboat Beach, corridors from the airport, the transshipment port, a commercial free zone; to consider what projects should be afforded the earlier priorities; to recommend the structure for co-ordinating all the inputs and activities necessary for the timely and effective implementation of the re-development, and to explore the possible sources and methods of financing the overall development.
Earlier this month, Aubyn Hill, another member of the working group and managing director of the National Commercial Bank (NCB), said he was confident that public order would be restored to the business district of downtown Kingston if the plan is implemented. Noting that the problems caused by social decay in the capital city was among the biggest challenges, Mr. Hill said that over a period of time people would see that they were going to get Kingston fixed.
