The New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is providing hope and helping to rebuild the lives of 38 residents of Findlay’s Cottage at 44 Walker’s Avenue in Gregory Park St. Catherine, who lost their homes to a fire, reportedly caused by an arson attack, on August 12, 2023.

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, broke ground on Tuesday, August 5 2025, for work to begin on the Serenity Grove Housing Development, which will replace the dilapidated structures once occupied by the 10 households in Gregory Park St. Catherine.

“This is a housing programme. It will enhance the lives of the 38 individuals. The 10 households that live here, they will feel better for it. I expect that they will use it to ensure that their children do well in school, to break intergenerational poverty. But when I come back here two years after it is opened, I don’t want to see the place look mash up..we must make this be the pride of Gregory Park”, the Prime Minister stated.

Reiterating the fact that the NSHP does not provide land for developments, Prime Minister Holness said beneficiaries must have access to land, either by owning it, or having permission to use it.

“That is probably the most time consuming part of the whole project of social housing. The GOJ cannot break its own laws. So we can’t go and build on land that we don’t own, or we don’t know who owns it and we don’t have permission to build on it”, the Prime Minister explained.

In the case of the Serenity Grove Development, Prime Minister Holness said several processes to secure rights to the land had to be followed, as there were uncertainties regarding its ownership, which lengthened the development process.

“So we are here today because we have followed the process through and through and we are satisfied that we are on firm ground in being able to build on this piece of property without contest and you will be secure in the homes that you are getting. We had to do all kinds of things to comply with the law. It took us 2 years from 2023 to now, to be able to stand here and do this”, he noted.

The development will be constructed under Modality Three (Upgrade of Tenements or Big Yards) under the New Social Housing Programme and will feature a total of ten (10) housing units, comprising:

• Four (4) two-bedroom units
• Six (6) three-bedroom units

The units will be constructed by Pavecon Limited at a cost of J$109.4 million. The project is scheduled to begin in August 2025 and is expected to be completed within six (6) months, by February 2026.

To date, a total of 300 housing units have been completed under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), benefiting more than 1,082 individuals across 57 constituencies. There are currently 45 active construction projects underway in 19 constituencies.

St. William Grant Park in Downtown Kingston came alive today (Thursday, July 31), as the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) ramped up Plastic Free Summer activities with a  Local Education Drive (LED) under the theme “Break Up With Plastic”.

Teams from the Ministry, as well as its agencies, partners and stakeholders were on location to distribute educational flyers about the impact of plastics on the environment, engage with the public and the Downtown Kingston business community on the Plastic Ban, and share tips on sustainable alternatives to single use plastics.

In a brief address, Permanent Secretary Mrs. Arlene Williams, reminded the public about the harmful effects of plastic pollution on the environment.

“Now plastic as you know, is very harmful to our environment.  It takes many many years to disintegrate.  Our marine life is being affected  by plastic. Our very existence  is being affected by plastic and so the Ministry is pushing the elimination  of plastic and our campaign today is pushing Reuse, Reduce, Refuse and Recycle”, she noted.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Leonard Francis highlighted the adverse effects of  plastics and microplastics on the human body and the environment.

“I am afraid of plastic because I did some research and I’m telling you, it’s a serious thing.   They say microplastics…it goes into your heart,  it goes into your lungs and it goes into every part of you”, he stated.

Adding that plastic is also detrimental to humans if it is burned, Mr Francis encouraged members of the public to ”Break up with Plastic”.

“Everything starts with one person. One person can change the  entire world and I’m telling you, if we just start with you, or anybody here, that makes a big difference”, he said.

Businesses who have adopted plastic-free practices were highlighted and others were encouraged to do the same through targeted outreach.

Other partners and stakeholders involved in the LED included the Jamaica Environment Trust, which donated recycling bins to Kingston High School and eco-friendly food boxes to food vendors; Alter Eco which manufactures sustainable utensils for the Jamaican Market and the Grace Kennedy Foundation, which is leading the charge in the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project.

ZJ Sparks brought her own brand of flavour to the event, igniting the crowd’s  enthusiasm for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic, while social media influencer Evert “Evy Royal” Johnson helped to spread the message to “Break up with Plastic”.

Plastic Free Summer, is a local initiative by the MEGJC, that was born out of the global observation of Plastic Free July.   It is aimed at heightening public awareness about the Ban on Single Use Plastics, with the goal of  empowering Jamaicans to make eco-friendly choices that will protect the environment as well as their communities.

For more information and to stay updated on Plastic Free Summer activities, follow the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation on all its social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok at megjc_jm.

Kingston, Jamaica: The Government of Jamaica has taken a major step toward addressing traffic congestion along the island’s North Coast with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC). The signing ceremony took place on Monday August 4, 2025, at the Office of the Prime Minister. The agreement outlines cooperation on developing the required Feasibility Studies for the North-South Highway Extension Project (NSHEP).

The National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited (NROCC) confirmed that the traffic volume along the North Coast Highway, particularly through the parish of St. Ann, has exceeded the current road capacity. In response, NROCC has conceptualized an alternative highway route through St. Ann to alleviate congestion and improve travel efficiency.

The proposed North-South Highway Extension Project will consist of two new segments branching from a grade-separated interchange near Mammee Bay, St. Ann:

• Segment 1: Extending westward from Mammee Bay to Discovery Bay, St. Ann
• Segment 2: Extending eastward from Mammee Bay to Tower Isle, St. Mary

Under the terms of the MOU, the Government of Jamaica, through NROCC, will provide CHEC with the available data needed to carry out the required studies. CHEC will undertake the required feasibility studies at no cost to the Government.

“The traffic that we face in St. Ann is a consequence of the rapid development that has taken place in that region over the past decade. Development is a symbol of the prosperity that has happened over the past several years. This initiative will alleviate the traffic on the North Coast Highway in St. Ann and increase access to lands for housing, agriculture, and business,” said Hon. Robert Morgan, Minister Without Portfolio with responsibility for works.

The Government’s commitment to infrastructure development continues to drive national growth, enhance road safety, and support sustainable economic development across the island.

For further information: 

Robert Nesta Morgan, MP  

Minister with Responsibility for Works

Chief Technical Director, Development Planning, Environment Policy and Management, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Gillian Guthrie, addresses a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ in Kingston on Wednesday (July 23).

With the fourth phase of the ban on specific types of single-use plastic products now in effect, manufacturers, distributors and importers are being urged to offer more environmentally friendly alternatives to consumers.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ in Kingston on Wednesday (July 23), Chief Technical Director (CTD), Development Planning, Environment Policy and Management, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Gillian Guthrie, said plastics are non-biodegradable products that can take decades to decompose, especially in the natural environment.

“We are encouraging the manufacturer, distributor and importer to provide to the consumer the environmentally friendly alternative. It is going to cost a little bit more upfront but like everything else that is good for you, over the long-term, the benefits that will accrue are even greater,” she stated.

Ms. Guthrie further encouraged consumers to play their part by urging businesses to stock more sustainable options.

“We ask the public… to demand the alternatives, because it is for the betterment of the quality of life that you experience,” she added.

Ms. Guthrie emphasized that while plastic is embedded in modern life, not all types are essential, and replacing those that are unnecessary is both possible and necessary.

“The challenge with plastics is that it’s all over. Plastics are in our clothes, in our cars, in our shoes; it is something that is now engrained in our lives. But what we’re trying to do is to get rid of the plastic that we don’t need, and we [really] don’t need some of these plastics,” she pointed out.

Ms. Guthrie highlighted that the success of the transition depends on full cooperation from all stakeholders.

“It is something that we have to bring the society, the manufacturer, distributor and the importer along with. So we didn’t do it one time. We’ve been trying to do a phased approach, trying to bring the consumer along with it,” the CTD indicated.

Since 2018, the Government of Jamaica has adopted a phased approach to banning specific single-use plastics, ensuring that environmentally friendly alternatives are available and affordable before implementing each new restriction.

The fourth phase, which took effect on July 1, 2025, targets single-use plastic food containers as well as personal care and cosmetic products containing intentionally added plastic microbeads or microplastics

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is targeting a significant increase in the delivery of homes under the New Social Housing Programme(NSHP).

“This programme is delivering on a monthly basis, at least ten or more homes for needy families and what we are trying to do now is scale up the delivery of homes. We want to be delivering in the region of between 20 and 40 homes per month”, the Prime Minister stated.

Speaking yesterday (July 16, 2025) at the Contract Signing and Groundbreaking for the Wakefield Mews Housing Development in St Catherine, Prime Minister Holness said this target can be achieved.

“It can be done, because if you need to deal with 6000 families then you really have to ramp up the delivery of the houses” he stated.

The Prime Minister reiterated that one of the main obstacles for the delivery of the units under the NSHP is the provision of land.

“This programme does not provide land. The beneficiary has to get access to land and then come to us, and then we build on the land. So, we are now looking as our Permanent Secretary has said, to identify lands that we can put social housing on. We don’t want to become a housing developer and to be competing with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) and the NHT (National Housing Trust), so we will look at it very carefully”, he stated.

The Wakefield Mews Housing Development, formerly called Backlands in the Buxton Town Area of St. Catherine is being developed under Modality 3 of the NSHP, which is the Upgrade of Tenements/Big Yards.

The development, which is being constructed at a cost of $44.2 million, will comprise three 2-bedroom and three 3-bedroom units as well as the necessary infrastructure works, and is expected to commence this month (July) with completion expected by January 2026.

Twenty-four (24) persons, including 14 children, who were living in substandard conditions, are expected to benefit from this project.

The Government has allocated $350 million to support national drought mitigation efforts, aimed at easing the impact of the dry conditions currently affecting several parishes across the island.

Addressing a press briefing at Jamaica House on July 16, 2025, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda, said the funding will support immediate water relief initiatives as well as strategic infrastructure investments to improve drought resilience.

“Those measures will include $250M which will be executed by the MEGJC, which will see trucking that will be directed through Members of Parliament of approximately $150M. It will see further trucking support to the National Water Commission of approximately $50M to service critical infrastructure and $50M towards additional tank purchases”, the Minster noted.

Minister Samuda further noted that an additional $100M will be channeled through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, to assist farmers and will be shared between water trucking, drip irrigation systems and grass purchases.

Minister Samuda reported that over the last nine years, more than 350,000 Jamaicans have benefitted from improved access to water as a result of long-term investments in the sector. He said that the Government is currently midway through executing approximately $22B in capital works in potable water, sewage and irrigation systems that will benefit over 900,000 Jamaicans when complete.

“We want to assure Jamaicans that the investment is already bearing fruit. These large investments include the Western Resilience Water Project, which will see significant expansion and improvement in the distribution network, the processing network and indeed storage systems in western Jamaica, spanning from Martha Brae all the way around to roaring river in Westmoreland”, he stated.

The Minister added that significant benefits are also expected from the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) programme.

“Non-Revenue Water includes major line replacements that NWC is doing, which goes up to about $10B this year. It also includes the $5B being spent through the National Works Agency under the SPARK (Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network) Programme, which changes old pipes so when roads are laid they don’t have to go and repair roads immediately after”, he explained.

Minister Samuda noted that efforts are also underway to expand water production capacity, noting that construction has already begun on the Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant that will supply 15 million gallons of water a day to Spanish Town, Portmore and Kingston and St. Andrew.

“In February 2022, in Kingston and St. Andrew, we were short 12 million gallons a day in that drought, the worst of our droughts. This system will provide 15 million gallons of water a day when complete in less than two years, based on where we are”, he noted.

Minister Samuda gave the assurance that the Drought Management Committee of the Integrated Water Resource Management Council, will ensure that the allocation will reach persons most in need, adding that members of the police, fire brigade and the Social Development Commission have been engaged to ensure that social cohesion is managed during the dry period.

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says Government will be examining the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), to see how best to incorporate the provision of land for building.

Speaking yesterday (July 10, 2025) at the Groundbreaking and Contract Signing for the Hibiscus Housing Development at Tower Hill in Kingston 11, Prime Minister Holness said the NSHP currently does not provide the land, so if beneficiaries meet the need, they would have to find the land.

“We have been examining the programme and at some point in time we are going to have to make a change to the programme to include finding lands for persons who meet the need criteria, but don’t have the lands. Right now we could be building many more houses, but we have actually reached the limit in terms of the number of beneficiaries who have the land on which we can build”, he explained.

The Prime Minister added that one of the challenges the programme faces, is that many properties in these communities are not titled.

“Some of them, the owners have migrated, and different persons have been occupying the lands over time and so they are not regularised, so it takes some time to establish ownership for the lands”, he noted.

The Prime Minister noted that while beneficiary assessment, land acquisition, and project design remain the most time-consuming aspects of the programme, there has been significant improvement in the construction and delivery of houses, some completed within just two to three months.

“The phase we are in now is to scale up the programme. In the next budget we will have more resources, we will expand the programme. We will add new features to the programme so that we can serve more people”, the Prime Minister stated.

The Hibiscus Housing Developed is being constructed under Modality Three of the New Social Housing Programme: the “Upgrade of Tenements” (Big Yards).

The Development which has a timeline of six (6) months, will be completed at a cost of over $45 million and will see the construction of seven (7) units, comprising four (4) studios, one (1) two-bedroom unit and two (2) three-bedroom units. The project will benefit 16 persons, including children, who were living in deplorable conditions.

As of July 10, 2025, a total of 295 housing units or 676 rooms have been completed, with over 1063 persons benefitting.   There are 45 active construction projects or 93 rooms which will be completed in short order.  Sixty-five additional projects will commence during this financial year, adding another 384 rooms to the housing stock.