Prince Charles plants a tree during his visit to Rose Town in Kingston, yesterday. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

ROSE Town residents and stakeholders are optimistic that yesterday's visit by Prince Charles will boost the development project in the community, which is being supported by the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment.

Formally divided by political violence, residents in the West Kingston community have united in recent years, stimulating development via the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) Construction Assistance Skills Transfer and Learning the Environment (CASTLE) programme, a partnership that begun in 2000.

The visit functioned as a ground-breaking for the next stage of CASTLE, which includes the construction of a community park and housing.

Residents had been working feverishly for the past week, evidenced by fresh paint and resurfaced roads, which have brightened a community otherwise blighted by zinc and abandoned land and buildings.

Most striking was an outdoor art installation by Australian artist Melinda Brown located at the intersection of Duff Street and Moores Street, which features a rooftop water fountain and sculptures by Rose Town potters, and doubles as a performance space.

Previously slowed by a lack of funding, KRC Executive Director Morin Seymour is confident that the high-profile visit, accompanied by a trailing pack of foreign journalists, will encourage more potential donors to step forward.

"It's something we have tried to start for years, starting with the sanitation facilities, the community centre and then the library and now we have blossomed into a world-class development project," Seymour told the Observer. "It's a perfect example of what can happen in Jamaica when people are brought together in harmony."

The Rose Town Benevolent Society, led by its president Michael Black, have worked to unite the People's National Party (PNP) aligned north with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) aligned south. Separated by the divide many residents had not seen each other for 30 years.

"As you can see with the work that has gone in, the people are showing a level of appreciation for what is going on," said Black. "We see this moment as a very historic moment and a hopeful one in terms of what will happen next."

For further coverage of Rose Town and community development visit the Jamaica Observer 'Observations' blog: www.jamaicaobserver.com/blog

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