Jamaica News: National Housing Trust (NHT) Chairman, Lennox Channer, says the agency’s 2019/20 programmed expenditure of $40 billion, represents the largest ever in the entity’s 43-year history.
He informed that the sum is earmarked to initiate over 8,000 housing starts islandwide, adding to the 6,000 from 2018/19.
He was speaking at Friday’s (August 30) ground-breaking ceremony for the NHT’s $1.46 billion Twickenham Glades housing development in St. Catherine.
Ground was broken by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who has Portfolio responsibility for the NHT.
Mr. Channer said consequent on the over 8,000 housing targeted starts, including the 110 at Twickenham Glades, the NHT is making steady progress in achieving its target of developing 23,000 housing solutions by 2021.
He indicated that over 4,700 of these will be developed in St. Catherine over the period.
Mr. Channer said the NHT’s move to boost St. Catherine’s housing stock is in response to contributors’ demands coupled with the parish’s rapid development.
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“The parish is the second most populous and the most rapidly growing, with large manufacturing and agricultural industries. Infrastructure development is not to be outdone, with the improvements to the Mandela Highway and other corridors leading into the parish, now in their final phases,” the Chairman added.
He contended that the parish’s economic and infrastructural development, “has made St. Catherine an ideal place to live”.
“The NHT is well aware of this buzz taking place in St. Catherine, so we are responding to (the housing demands) of our contributors (in the parish, as also) across Jamaica,” the Chairman further said.
Mr. Channer emphasized that the NHT is “working to make housing happen, as housing creates jobs and provides stable foundation for families”.
These, he added, are “critical pillars for any country’s development”.
Twickenham Glades, which will comprise 110 single storey two-bedroom duplex units, is the forth phase of the Twickenham Park Housing Development.
The initial three comprise 767 units developed in the adjoining Union Estates.
Twickenham Glades, which is being developed on land along the west-bound side of Mandela Highway, is slated for completion in December 2020.
Source: JIS News