WRITTEN BY: AINSWORTH MORRIS – JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

The Government is calling on Jamaican architects to submit creative, original, resilient and low-cost housing designs, through the Low Cost Housing Design Competition, which can be used as a model for the nation’s social housing programme.

The competition was launched virtually on Friday (May 7) by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
It forms part of the social housing aspect of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme.

“The genesis of this project was indeed the success of the competition that was launched for the design of our [new] Parliament [building],” the Prime Minister said.
“What we are trying to do is to get the architectural community, the planning community, and the environmental community to take the vast knowledge that exists, both globally and of local circumstance, and infuse it into practice to solve real world problems,” he added.

The Prime Minister said solutions that do not win will help the Government with having knowledge of solutions that are there from research and academia.
“The Government will take that application and put it through our bureaucracy and then have it implemented,” Mr. Holness said.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Audrey Sewell, gave an overview of the competition and its requirement.
“Given the high demand, there is need to optimise our limited financial resources to get the best value at the least cost. It is against this background that at the inception of the programme, the Prime Minister gave the directive for the Low Cost Housing Competition to be launched,” Mrs. Sewell said.

“It is open to all Jamaicans, whether they live here or overseas. Of course, those who are residing overseas will have to prove that they are Jamaicans. We are especially targeting engineers, architects, builders and students from the built environment, but we are not limiting the competition to those categories, so once you feel that you meet the requirements, we are encouraging you to enter,” she added.

Submissions may be done individually or in teams with a maximum of five persons. Competitors are encouraged to conceive new and original design concepts that are low cost and sustainable.
Designs should accommodate persons who are disabled, should demonstrate climate resilience and be adaptable to the various terrains to be found islandwide.

Entries will be accepted in four categories: one, two and three bedroom units and multi-family unit.
The Government will offer a prize of $1 million for the winner, $500,000 for the second place, and $250,000 for the third place in each of the four categories.

WRITTEN BY: ROCHELLE WILLIAMS- JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

Construction of the Boundbrook Industrial Estate in Portland is expected to commence in the second quarter of the 2021/22 financial year.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington,  made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 5.

He said that the works will be conducted in two phases over a 24-month period.

Under the project, the Government plans to utilise lands owned by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) and the National Insurance Fund (NIF) in Boundbrook, Portland, to facilitate the relocation of 11 government agencies.

“The construction budget is estimated to cost $1 billion. There will be a return on investment through lease/rentals,” Minister Warmington said.

The Boundbrook project is a joint venture between the FCJ and the NIF and will involve the buildout of 100,000 square metres of factory space to house government and private-sector entities.

“A feasibility study has been completed and has indicated that significant value can be created for the people of Port Antonio and the surrounding areas with this development,” Minister Warmington told the House.

A contract was signed in February 2021 with GW Associates Consultants to commence detailed development drawings in alignment with the conceptual drawings that were previously approved.

Meanwhile, Mr. Warmington told the House that detailed designs for the development of the Naggo Head Technical Park in Portmore, St. Catherine, and the redevelopment of the Hayes Free Zone in Clarendon will be finalised during the fiscal year.

WRITTEN BY: CHRIS PATTERSON – JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, says the Government’s Land Titling Programme has been re-engineered to deliver 20,000 titles in two calendar years.

Making his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 5, Mr. Warmington said it is expected that 10,000 titles will be delivered this year.

He informed that this has been facilitated by the enactment of the amendments to The Registration of Titles Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Clarification (Special Provisions) Act in 2020/2021, which enabled the processing of matters under systematic land registration via an adjudication process.

Mr. Warmington said the systematic titling process is targeting privately held lands at a community or scheme level and will operate alongside the existing voluntary system of registration of lands, where persons visit the National Land Agency (NLA) office and request the service to issue a title for their lands.

He informed that during the 2020/21 financial year, 22 areas or districts were declared as systematic adjudication areas (SAAs), mainly in the parish of St. Elizabeth, which has the lowest level of registration of property.

Mr. Warmington pointed out that St. Elizabeth, based on 2016 figures, had a land registration rate of 41.47 per cent.

“When compared to parishes such as St. James at 81.54 per cent and St. Andrew at 86 per cent, one will clearly see that we have a challenge in that parish. The parish is fourth in line behind St. Catherine, St. Andrew and Clarendon in terms of parcels of land,” he said.

The Minister noted that the Government is working through a public-private partnership agreement with Geoland Title Limited to undertake cadastral surveying and titling services. He added that through this partnership and the information generated, a list of 22 areas were determined for action using systematic adjudication.

The SAAs in St. Elizabeth include parts of Lacovia called Bartons Wharf, Cuffies Pen, Dixon Land and Rice Piece. They also include parts of Berlin, Brighton, Haughton, Potsdam, Exton, parts of Friendship called Doctor Rock; parts of Burnt Ground called Lower Burnt Ground and Grass Piece; parts of Burnt Savannah called 500 Lane, and Ghetto Lane.

Mr. Warmington said fieldwork has started in the parish and teams from the NLA have begun adjudicating rights and interests in the 10 SAAs.

He pointed out that the adjudication record for the Flagman SAA is now complete and will be displayed in the first quarter of this fiscal year, adding that existing NLA staff have been redeployed from other divisions to increase the adjudication team from 11 to 20 dedicated members of staff as at April 2021.

Meanwhile, he said the National Land Agency will introduce an electronic system known as the Systematic Adjudication System (SAS) to manage the Systematic Land Registration (SLR) process in the 2021/22 fiscal year.

He informed that the SAS was custom-built to meet specifications set out by the agency’s Adjudication Services Division.

“Having an appreciation for the sheer volume of information to be processed in producing 20,000 Certificates of Title, it was determined that the land adjudication process must be digitised to the greatest degree possible,” the Minister noted.

Mr. Warmington said this would serve to improve efficiency, while simultaneously supporting greater security and reducing the natural margin of error created by manual processing of the applications.

“There will also be a mobile application… to come online before July 2021, which functions without an Internet connection and will, therefore, facilitate collection of data in the field,” he pointed out.

WRITTEN BY: ALECIA SMITH – JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

The proposed development of the New Negril Area over the next 20 years is expected to result in the creation of additional resort rooms, attracting more than 1.6 million tourists per year, with the potential to generate annual revenues of over US$218.8 million.

It is also expected to create 31,552 direct jobs and a similar amount indirectly over the medium to long-term.

This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, while making his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (May 5).

He noted that this anticipated development falls under the draft New Negril Master Plan, which the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has completed at the request of Cabinet.

“The New Negril Master Plan will provide the strategic direction for the management and growth of the area over the next 20 years… the plan was developed at a cost of $38 million and prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and other stakeholders,” Mr. Warmington said

The plan proposes densities of 75 habitable rooms per hectare inland and plot area ratios of 1:1 and 1:2 at selected areas along the coastline. This is expected to create an additional 19,357 resort rooms.

“The boundary of the Master Plan area stretches south-westerly from the community of Esher in the north (adjacent to Lucea) to the parish border of Hanover and Westmoreland. It is approximately 58.62 square kilometres in size, with a coastline spanning 37.9 km inclusive of several bays and coves. The study area boundary extends approximately 5.5 kilometres inwards from the coastline in some sections,” Mr. Warmington informed.

He noted that the objective of the Master Plan is to make the New Negril Area a model 21^st century community, by creating a smart, sustainable and resilient technology-driven inclusive community where opportunities are created for every member of the community to improve their quality of life in a meaningful and sustainable manner.

“This will be achieved through the diversification of tourism products, stimulating economic growth and job creation, improving the social amenities and physical infrastructure while preserving the natural and fragile ecology of the area without compromising the opportunities for future generations,” Mr. Warmington said.

WRITTEN BY: CHRIS PATTERSON – JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

The Government is moving to finalise the Policy for the Sustainable Management of Government-Owned Residential Properties.

This was stated by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, while making his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 5.

He said that finalisation of the policy is pending receipt of comments from the National Land Agency (NLA).

Minister Warmington pointed out that the Government owns many residential-type properties, and the policy measure will support the Government’s obligation to provide an adequate and well-maintained residential unit to meet its housing obligations to certain categories of workers.

“The public service employs thousands of persons across ministries, departments and agencies. Persons move constantly based on where it is determined they are needed. The housing of certain categories of workers, especially when they move say from parish to parish, sometimes causes undue challenges,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Minister informed the House that public consultations will be targeted on the revised draft National Land Policy during the 2021/22 Financial Year.

He said that the policy has been undergoing further amendment prior to being re-submitted for approval as a Green Paper.

WRITTEN BY: LATONYA LINTON – JAMAICA INFORMATION SERVICE

The National Works Agency (NWA) is projecting to spend $4.7 billion this fiscal year (2021/22) to undertake recurrent activities, which is a marginal increase over last year’s budget of $4.5 billion.

These activities include emergency repairs to roads, river-training activities, the cleaning of gullies, islandwide disaster mitigation, bridge development and construction, the maintenance of secondary roads as well as traffic management and control.

The projected capital budget is estimated at $17.4 billion, representing the amount currently required for works being undertaken on the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project.

This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, during his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on May 5.

The Minister noted that the Agency’s operational budget for this year is likely to be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

As it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Warmington said specific outcomes or consequences are not yet known, because the outcomes will largely be determined based on the terms of individual contracts as well as how the pandemic develops.

He said anticipated impacts will likely include claims for extension of time and price adjustments or fluctuation costs.

As it relates to the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which is predicted to be similarly active to that of 2020, the National Works Agency has proposed its annual Pre-Hurricane Mitigation Programme, valued at almost $101 million.

“The programme is one that is implemented annually in the months preceding the season, which starts on June 1 and which consists of the cleaning of critical drains and the debushing of identified corridors in a bid to prevent flooding and other adverse effects of persistent rainfall,” Mr. Warmington said.

He pointed out that the programme is designed on a constituency basis and will address critical drains in all 63 constituencies, adding that works on this programme will begin as soon as all the relevant approvals have been received.

“I again urge each and every Jamaican to own their little space and in the process help us to keep our drains and waterways clear of impediments. Jamaica is a beautiful island that does not need drains to be used as dumps and waterways to be robbed of naturally protective elements, which then put many lives at risk,” Mr. Warmington said.

Written by: Rochelle Williams – Jamaica Information Service

Construction is to commence on several projects during the 2021/22 financial year, which will provide approximately 400 acres of additional special economic zone (SEZ) space at an estimated value of more than US$1.3 billion.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2021/22 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives on May 5.

He said that the projects comprise approximately 250 acres of mixed-use facilities, including data centres and petrochemical and logistics industries.

These include Grand Ridge in Montego Bay, a 65-acre zone with commercial, educational, medical/pharmaceutical and commercial industries; a 26-acre film studio and post-production facility in Trelawny; and the Seaview Eco-Industrial Park in the Seaview/Riverton area.

Minister Warmington said that the business confidence in the SEZ model, which was established as an economic stimulus strategy, continues to grow, with heightened local and foreign investor interest in a wide cross-section of traditional as well as new and emerging industries.

He noted that at the end of March 2020, a total of 131 of 134 approved free zone entities, representing 98 per cent, had transitioned to the new SEZ regime.

This number, together with the 52 new SEZ developers, who entered into licensing agreements with the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA), brought the complement of SEZ entities to 183. This represents a growth trajectory of 30 per cent for the new regime.

“With these SEZ entities coming on stream, the Government of Jamaica has earned an increase in revenue from $22 million in 2019 to a reported $381 million in June 2020,” he pointed out.

Furthermore, he noted these additions to the SEZ landscape have translated into approximately 50,391 new jobs in the information and communications technology and business process outsourcing (BPO), agribusiness, logistics and fuel sectors.

“Preliminary data suggest that after all the current SEZ projects in the pipeline have been processed and approved, the total employment numbers should spiral to approximately 65,000, with the majority of the recipients being women,” Mr. Warmington said.

The SEZs are spread across 11 parishes with the aim of stimulating development of commercial and logistical infrastructure to catalyse the economy islandwide.

Jamaica’s SEZs embrace a range of services, including training, incubation space, warehousing and distribution, logistics, manufacturing, assembly, and production facilities.

Currently, the regime boasts 26.6 million square feet of designated SEZ area. There are 12 new zones under construction in a variety of industries, totalling 1.1 million square feet of committed space.

This represents US$660.6 million of direct investment and the addition of 30,226 new jobs, based on investor projection.

The National Land Agency (NLA) is encouraging Jamaicans to trust the process of systematic land registration being undertaken by the agency and allow it to work for their benefit.

The process aims to assist persons in obtaining the titles for property they have lived on undisturbed and undisputed for upwards of 12 years.

“Systematic land registration is new; it is revolutionary; it is different from……..Click Here for full story on JIS website.