THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has issued a notice to 32 squatters to vacate the Fairy Hill property in East Portland by February 2.

The corporation said yesterday that it had resorted to this action after 32 people, from a total of 60, had failed to deposit the required $35,000 to acquire one of the 215 residential lots in the subdivision.

The lots, which were being sold “below the market price” from a low of $167,000 to a high of $589,000, were offered to the squatters since November 2000.

Meanwhile, Dr Donald Rhodd, member of parliament (MP) for East Portland, told the Observer that he was taking steps to establish a provident society as a means of assisting persons who were unable to “meet the terms” set by the UDC.

He said a contact has been made with the water and housing ministry regarding the establishment of the provident society and a meeting was scheduled to be held next Wednesday to advance the matter.

The UDC is apparently taking a cautious approach with the Fairy Hill squatters, following a public brawl last June when the agency demolished illegal dwellings on the Roaring River Estate in St Ann during a pre-dawn raid.

The operation ignited social unrest and street fights between the police and persons protesting the demolition in Mammee Bay/Drax Hall in St Ann.

In the aftermath, an embarrassed Prime Minister P J Patterson, who has ministerial responsibility for the UDC, ordered all state agencies involved in the housing sector to develop and present him with guidelines for the removal of squatters.

The new guidelines, which stresses the need for transparency and dialogue, stipulates the issuing of a maximum of three notices to squatters to vacate premises. Eviction should take place only after the serving of the third notice. Public notification of the planned operation is also mandatory.

The UDC said yesterday that communication had been made by way of meetings and letters with the squatters at Fairy Hill from as early as May last year requesting the payment of deposits by July 16, 2001 and an extension given to October 31 last year to pay the deposit and sign a sale agreement.

A UDC source said five persons have already completed their payments and received letters of possession and another 21 persons are nearing completion of payments.

The Fairy Hill property in East Portland covers 110.69 hectares of land, which was leased for agricultural use in the early 1970s under the Land Lease programme. This programme was discontinued due to the large amount of rocks in the soil and restrictions on tree crops.

In addition to the housing site, the development plan for the area includes a public park, resort development, community spaces and limited agriculture, the UDC states.