WESTERN BUREAU — The $2.8-billion Cancara housing project at Irwin, St James is at a standstill because that development company failed to complete sewerage arrangements with the National Water Commission (NWC).

The project should have got underway from last August.

However, the Cancara Development Company told the Observer that it was now working to remedy this glitch and expected work on the project to begin by the end of March.

“The sewerage arrangements are still to be finalised and approved but we are working on that,” explained Michael Young, Cancara’s corporate consultant.

“We want to get the NWC fully on board in regards to getting the pipes connected to the sewerage ponds at Bogue,” he added.

In addition, Young said Cancara was also in discussion with other developers in the area who wanted to connect to the sewerage lines en route to the Bogue ponds in Montego Bay.

“The discussions are far advanced and we want to start the development by the end of the first quarter of this year,” the consultant said.

The housing project will be called Meadows of Irwin and includes the construction of 1,400 two-bedroom homes on 250 acres of land in the community.

Each home will be sold at a cost of $2.5 million and despite the delay in getting the project off the ground, Young said he did not envisage any increase in the cost of the units nor, he said, will there be any changes in the design.

The multi-million-dollar development will also see the construction of a park, playing field, shopping centre and three schools.

Last July when Cancara’s architect/planner Kirk Douglas announced the development, he told the St James Parish Council that the project would be developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Housing and would have three components.

“The Provident Society will get 208 houses, 175 will go to the civil service and the balance will be sold on the open market,”Douglas said then.