OCG’s recommendation stalls St Elizabeth land sale

Garfield Myers

Thursday, December 01, 2011

BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth - PLANS by the St Elizabeth Parish Council for the sale of 40 acres of land at Manning's Field in Bellevue, South East St Elizabeth have being put on hold following recommendations regarding procedure by the Contractor General Greg Christie.

"The Contractor General is of the view that we should revalue the land and re-advertise, that is his conclusion, his recommendation," chairman of the St Elizabeth Parish Council and Mayor of Black River, Jeremy Palmer told the Observer West recently.

In July, Palmer invited Christie to probe the land sale following allegations by People's National Party (PNP) councillor for the Myersville Division, Richard Parchment that the land which was slated for housing development was being sold below market value to a well-known Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) "supporter and contributor". Parchment suggested at the time that the transaction was meant to serve partisan political ends.

Yesterday Parchment, who is the PNP's candidate for the South East St Elizabeth constituency in upcoming parliamentary elections, welcomed Christie's recommendation.

"I am happy for the ruling by the contractor general because what he has said is exactly what I was asking for that the land should be revalued and new bids invited in the interest of fairness and transparency," said Parchment.

Palmer told journalists recently that the Contractor General had complimented the St Elizabeth Parish Council for making a "very great attempt for transparency" and for striving to follow procedural rules. However, Palmer said, Christie was of the view that the local authority "should have valued before we advertised".

While conceding that "the valuation came after the first advertisement", Palmer argued that "I cannot see what violence would be done if you advertise and receive a bid (before valuation)... first of all there could be no collusion, because you don't have a value... nobody could leak a value to anybody..."

Palmer told journalists that he was keeping a scrupulous "hands off" approach on the matter and was leaving it in the hands of the parish council's technocrats. "I have always done that and will continue to do so," Palmer said.

As explained to journalists in July, the original plan was to sell 70 acres of land adjacent to Manning's Children's Home in Bellevue to a single bidder who was the only respondent to advertisements for a housing development. The overall price was set at just over $30 million.

According to Palmer, that plan was reviewed when a "re-survey" showed that only 40 acres was ideal for conventional housing development with the remaining 30 acres being mostly steep limestone hillsides.

On that basis, he said a decision was taken to sell 40 acres to the sole bidder on a prorated basis with the remaining 30 acres to be held by the Council as a forest reserve in the public's interest. Palmer said the development was to be a partnership between the developer and the ministry of housing.

But Parchment complained back then that the land had been "cherry-picked" for the "known JLP supporter and contributor" at below market price.