MAYOR of Kingston Desmond McKenzie has chided authorities for allowing the construction of the Long Mountain housing scheme almost seven years ago, saying that the development was detrimental to the environment.

“Long Mountain development is a disgrace,” said Mayor McKenzie, adding that no other developments will be approved in the area under his administration.

He was speaking Tuesday at the launch of the Hardware Merchants Association (HMA) biennial expo held at the Hilton Hotel in Kingston.

“As long as I am mayor no further development will take place in that area,” McKenzie told the gathering.

Long Mountain Country Club, a gated complex with scores of townhouses, was constructed by housing developers Selective Homes in early 2000 on hills overlooking the eastern end of Kingston.

The development at the time drew the wrath of environmentalists and the National Water Commission which argued that the area was a watershed and construction could seriously damage the ecosystem.

McKenzie was speaking against the background of a degradation of the environment as well as unplanned developments and the effects during hurricanes.

He argued that development in the island has, for years, gone uncontrolled and unmonitored without the appropriate legislation in place.

“You might be surprised to know that no building code exists in Jamaica that controls how you build and where you build,” said McKenzie.

This is a serious situation, he added, given the fact that Jamaica is prone to almost all forms of natural disaster. “The laws in the country are not sufficient to stop what is taking place.”

For instance, said McKenzie, in the corporate area seven out of every 10 developments are done illegally.

With the more frequent occurrences of hurricanes, the mayor also charged that too few preventative measures were taken to alleviate the effects of natural disasters.

Using Caribbean Terrace as an example, the mayor said a relocation of the residents in disaster-prone areas should be considered.

Caribbean Terrace was devastated in 2004 during Hurricane Ivan and again this year when Hurricane Dean traversed the island’s southern shores.

“It doesn’t make sense for people to continue living in that sort of situation.relocation has to be the way out,” he said.