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Hope Gardens rebranding project to start next week

Published:Thursday | February 10, 2022 | 12:05 AM
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At the existing eastern entrance to Hope Gardens are (from left): Alfred Thomas, chairman, Nature Preservation Foundation; Fayval Williams, minister of education and youth; Lady Allen, patron of Hope Gardens; Pearnel Charles Jr, minister of agriculture and
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At the existing eastern entrance to Hope Gardens are (from left): Alfred Thomas, chairman, Nature Preservation Foundation; Fayval Williams, minister of education and youth; Lady Allen, patron of Hope Gardens; Pearnel Charles Jr, minister of agriculture and fisheries; and Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven, chief executive officer, CHASE Fund.
Ian Levy (centre), director, CHASE Fund, is greeted by Alfred Thomas (right), chairman, Nature Preservation Foundation, while Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven, chief executive officer of CHASE Fund, looks on. They were at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a n
Contributed
Ian Levy (centre), director, CHASE Fund, is greeted by Alfred Thomas (right), chairman, Nature Preservation Foundation, while Wilford ‘Billy’ Heaven, chief executive officer of CHASE Fund, looks on. They were at a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a new eastern entrance to Hope Gardens.
The new-look eastern entrance.
Contributed
The new-look eastern entrance.
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Work is to begin mid-February on constructing a new, modern eastern entrance to the Hope Royal Botanical Gardens, as part of a massive rebranding of the 239-acre property. The work, slated to be completed within 12 weeks, is being funded by the CHASE Fund, following the signing of a contract with Costley’s Construction.

At a groundbreaking ceremony on February 2, Alfred Thomas, chairman of Nature Preservation Foundation, operators of the Hope Royal Botanical Gardens, announced that the long-term plans for the space is to bring it on par with such renowned visitor attractions as Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Miami. Over the past 10 years, Hope Gardens has welcomed an average of 1.2 million visitors per year, with a projection to move that number to 2.2 million annually, through the development plans.

UPGRADE

Thomas said 70 per cent of the lighting for the new entrance will come from solar panels, supplied by Fosrich and Phillips Lighting, as a means of attracting more visitors to the venue and encouraging corporate Jamaica to advertise in the area.

He said the upgrading of the Hope Gardens property will see additional medicinal trees being planted, as part of a memorandum of understanding with the Indian High Commission in Jamaica. There are also plans to collaborate with local and international universities to carry out research on those plants.

According to Thomas, the long-term vision is to expand the Hope Nursery, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, to include a wider variety of plants.

During the closure of the eastern entrance, all pedestrian and vehicular traffic into the Hope Gardens will be required to enter through the historic gate just beyond the Garden Boulevard traffic lights. That gate, which has been closed for some time, will be reopened temporarily during the construction period. Exit will be via Rocky Road, parallel to the Management Institute for National Development.