PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson has announced that a number
of new housing projects are to be executed this year and that special consideration is to be given to civil servants to own their own homes.
The new projects include the provision of approximately 900 houses in Braco, Trelawny; Leeds, St. Elizabeth; and Eltham Park and Twickenham Park in Spanish Town, St. Catherine.
Additionally, 715 new houses are to be constructed under the Sugar Housing Programme at Long Pond, Hampden and Worthy Park. Speaking last Wednesday during the launch of the National Nousing Trust's (NHT) 30th anniversary launch at Emancipation Park, New Kingston, Mr. Patterson told the gathering that a number of public servants are still struggling to buy their own houses.
"A critical part of the new MoU (Memorandum of Under-standing) must include the provision of satisfactory houses for our civil servants, our teachers, our nurses and our security personnel," Mr. Patterson said. "We have to ensure that all categories of contributors have access to affordable housing."
To this end the Prime Minister, who also has portfolio responsibility for the NHT, said the national settlement goal is to provide more affordable housing within the next 10 to 15 years. He noted that approximately 30,000 housing solutions are needed annually.
He said the NHT is expected to finance 12,000 housing solutions for the period 2006/2008 at an estimated cost of $20 billion.
HOUSING SOLUTIONS
In addition, Mr. Patterson disclosed that the National Housing Development Corpora-tion is expected to provide 10,540 housing solutions at an estimated cost of $7.8 billion between 2006 and 2009. The Prime Minister told the gathering that the Ministry of Water and Housing would assist 12,000 families each year to build and repair houses at an estimated cost of $100 million per annum.
He said he was concerned with the commercialisation of private residential communities in the Corporate Area and other towns in Jamaica. He said these private residential areas have adequate infrastructure to support housing development.
"To ameliorate and reverse the trend, I have directed the NHT to facilitate the restoration of houses in these areas as one of its immediate priorities," Mr. Patterson said. He revealed that the NHT had enabled approximately 113,000 Jamaicans to acquire their own homes at a combined value of $44 billion.
- Petrina Francis
