UDC completing consultation to commence construction at National Heroes Park
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Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, has announced that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is completing the public consultation phase to advance the development of National Heroes Park and the surrounding Heroes Circle area.
The area will be developed as the location of the new UDC headquarters, which forms part of a broader Kingston Central regeneration plan.
“So, we have engaged in very in-depth, very detailed planning and the phase that we are in now is the consultative phase where we are actually now speaking with the community members… . We are likely to wrap that up very soon and then we will actually now go into the construction phase where we turn the soil and lay the infrastructure,” Holness said.
He was speaking during a site visit at National Heroes Park alongside UDC representatives on Wednesday.
Under the regeneration plan, the 51-acre historical site will be transformed into a modern park, integrated with Jamaica’s first purpose-built Parliament building, and will include improvements to the adjoining road networks and infrastructure, including the Missionaries of the Poor Holy Innocents Convent in the vicinity.
“The face of Jamaica cannot continue to be dilapidation, urban blight, garbage on the road, disorder and spatial congestion. Jamaica must put on a new face. Proper roads, proper sidewalks, good park, proper garbage collection, and we are moving towards that,” the Prime Minister declared.
Addressing past delays, Holness noted that while previous attempts to upgrade the area and establish a Parliament building at the park were either incomplete or did not come to fruition, he pointed out that nearly five years have already been spent executing detailed, sustainable planning.
“It is not my intention to have the project start and not be completed. So, I am tasking the UDC with executing this project as you have done with several other projects, including the development of the waterfront and other such major projects,” the Prime Minister said.
He urged patience, however, noting that this will be a “massive project which will stimulate development across the Corporate Area”.
General Manager of the UDC, L. Robert Honeyghan, highlighted that the National Heroes Park and the Heroes Circle development will also unlock the redevelopment of Kingston Central, as streets and businesses radiating from the area to downtown Kingston will also be included in the plans.
“As you’ve seen, the level of care and maintenance of Heroes Park has fallen off significantly, and what we really want to do is allow Jamaicans to enjoy the type of environment that is suitable for them in a 21st-century country,” Honeyghan said.
- JIS News
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