Dumfries township development to begin in 2012

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:Development plans to transform the community of Dumfries, St James, into a major township are taking shape, with work slated to begin next year at a cost of some $2 billion.

The project, which will be overseen by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), will involve the construction of 125 housing lots, 100 of which will be reserved for residential housing and the remaining 25 for commercial sites.

The 50 acres of land have been plotted for the plan that will also take in the construction of a central sewage-treatment plant, commercial facilities, and the improvement of the local community centre.

"I'm very excited about the prospect of having the first communication centre in rural St James here, where you can tie in postal facilities with Internet café arrangements - and allow for much of the interconnectivity that people desire - which are now miles away to access," East Central St James Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett told residents on Sunday.

Bartlett told Western Focus that the project would necessitate the removal of several sugar cane plants currently growing near Dumfries' community centre to facilitate the creation of commercial space and communication centres in the area.

"This is really a very important hub, too, because Wakefield is a few miles away. The Hampden development is currently taking place, and the Eden Vale and Canaan development, so there are a number of community developments around Dumfries, so it will become essential."

Opportunities for work

HAJ's managing director, Joseph Shoucair, promised that work opportunities from the project would be made available for Dumfries residents.

"We're not sure of the model the project is going to take. It either will be funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund directly, or by the Government of Jamaica, or as a joint venture between the private and public sectors," said Shoucair.

Bartlett pointed out that the Dumfries development might progress ahead of plans to transform the neighbouring community of Adelphi into a satellite town.

"What we're looking at is a wider development area for Adelphi, which will create a new corridor for commercial and residential development," he said.

"We will be looking at heavy infrastructure and certainly stronger commercial development as well as a road-network system that will form the natural alternative route to the north coast from Fairfield in St James."