CHEC Mammee Bay development under way
Published:Friday | May 2, 2025 | 12:17 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
The China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has commenced construction in Mammee Bay, St Ann, in a section of the Roaring River watershed area under the 50-year US$700-million concession agreement with the Jamaican Government to build the north-south highway.
Preparation of the land began a few months ago, with actual construction starting last month.
On Thursday, a spokesperson at the CHEC St Ann office told The Gleaner that Phase One of the project is slated for completion in 2026 but was unable to provide further details.
However, the project is expected to be spread over six phases and is earmarked for completion in 2030.
Under the agreement, the development project will cover 740 acres, with construction of a hotel and apartments, including accommodation for 4,000 people being touted as part of the deal.
The project will provide jobs for locals and further add to the number of housing projects that have taken place in St Ann over the past decade.
However, the project has also fuelled controversy, with some residents and environmentalists opposing the move as the development sits in the centre of the watershed area that is responsible for supplying water to a large section of the parish.
In January last year, residents at a public consultation raised several issues, including traffic congestion, sewage and water supply, and education.
In August, The Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM) called for the Government to halt the development and later staged a peaceful protest near the site.
At the time, JaBBEM President Dr Devon Taylor said CHEC had commenced destruction of part of the Rio Bueno watershed on the Roaring River Estate in St Ann in preparation to construct “an oversized luxury housing development” based on environmental permits granted by the Government.
The group, at one point, even considered court action if the Government did not halt the project.
As work began on the property, several vendors descended on the location, constructing wooden stalls on the roadside near the entrance to the construction site. However, they were quickly removed by the authorities.