THE National Housing Trust (NHT) is reporting that it completed 1,387 housing units in eight of its own developments islandwide last year as it continues to fulfil its mandate of providing housing solutions for thousands of low and middle income Jamaicans at affordable prices.

One of the portfolio responsibilities of Prime Minister P J Patterson, the NHT provided financing for over 300 units in private developments in Cherry Gardens, St Catherine, Red Hills Pen Phase II, East Prospect, and Hellshire Park Estate.

In addition, the NHT provided 1,065 build-on-own-land loans and 206 home improvement loans during the year.

Patterson, in his contribution to the budget debate on April 14 last year, announced that for the 2001/2002 fiscal year the NHT would spend $6.54 billion, an increase of $1.24 billion or approximately 23 per cent over the amount spent the previous year.

On July 12, the prime minister broke ground for a 439-lot housing development at Twickenham Park in St Catherine.

The project is a joint venture involving the NHT, the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Union (JCTU) and the Jamaica Civil Service Housing Company Limited.

Patterson emphasised that it was an important obligation of government “to provide housing for all families”.

The prime minister also went to Tredegar Grove in St Catherine on July 12 for the handing over of 76 serviced lots.

Many of the beneficiaries were correctional officers and members of the other public sector groups.

On Friday, July 13, Patterson was in Westmoreland for the ground-breaking of the Operation Pride housing project at Gordon. This development will comprise 674 lots on 89 hectares of land.

The NHT is also a prime mover behind plans for the establishment of the proposed New Town development in Southern Clarendon.

On July 21, Patterson hosted a press conference at Jamaica House to announce an international design competition for this development.

The New Town development will be located on 4,000 hectares (11,500 acres) of land purchased for that purpose by the NHT at Inverness, Hunts Pen and Collman’s Cockpit.

The new development will constitute a virtual city, complete with all the residential, social and economic infrastructure.

Patterson noted that there were compelling reasons to support the project. “It is very clear that, looking to the future, we need to develop alternate locations, offering the full range of social and economic activities which people require,” he explained.

He pointed out that, with the future in mind, the New Town project was designed for development in concert with several other important Millennium projects, including Highway 2000, the Vernamfield Airport and the Milk River Spa and Resort in Clarendon.

The New Town development, when added to the other Millennium projects, “will serve as a catalyst for national development in the centre of our island for the 21st Century”, he said.

The NHT will be primarily involved in the development of the New Town houses, while private sector participants will be invited to develop complementary infrastructure, including facilities for light manufacturing and commercial estates.

In June, the prime minister challenged the NHT to develop a programme under which derelict houses in inner-city communities would be redeveloped in partnership with the residents.

Speaking at the NHT’s 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet, he called on the organisation to find creative solutions to the housing problem in inner-city communities.

That initiative, he said, would complement the NHT’s Infill Programme through which the organisation seeks to identify small lots in urban areas where small housing developments could be established.

Patterson announced during his contribution to the budget debate on April 26, an amnesty for companies that were delinquent in paying over their contributions to the NHT and had built up significant arrears.

Under the six-month amnesty (May 1 to October 31), the NHT was empowered to waive the penalty to any company paying over the arrears.

The amnesty, he said, would serve to “increase the collection of outstanding contributions, increase the submission of annual returns to the NHT, thus improving the quality of information on contributions and bring employers/self-employed contribution accounts up to date”.

In November, Patterson also announced that the NHT would finance the development of a National Public Park on Liguanea Lands, adjoining the head office of the Trust in New Kingston.

Work on the park, to be named Emancipation Park, is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2002 Emancipation celebrations.

Emancipation Day will be observed on August 1.