Dear Editor,

The Bruce Golding administration seems fully committed to the idea of relocating the Jamaica Defence Force headquarters from Up Park Camp in the country’s capital city where it has been housed since colonial times.

When the issue was publicly touted over a year ago, it was reported that the government’s plans were to relocate the seven major units of the JDF – with a staff complement of over 2,500 – to Vernamfield, Clarendon and Caymanas, St Catherine, and use Up Park Camp for housing development to address the shortage of housing in the capital city.

I do not accept that the need for further housing solutions in the capital city should be a sufficient reason for relocating our military headquarters – a huge part of our natural heritage and history. The need for a security base in our capital city should never be underestimated or discounted.

The government should reconsider the decision and look elsewhere to deal with the housing shortage in the country’s capital. Housing solutions could be provided in the very area of Caymanas where the government desires to relocate the JDF headquarters. Moreover, the redevelopment of downtown Kingston should help to provide for apartment and condo-styled homes to help to deal with the city’s housing shortage.

The last PNP administration made an unsuccessful attempt to sell the lands occupying the Jamaica Constabulary Force headquarters on Old Hope Road. As now presumably reasoned by the Jamaica Labour Party government with respect to Up Park Camp, the PNP claimed that the JCF’s headquarters was occupying prime real estate that could be used for housing development for the city.

A suitable site to relocate the JCF’s headquarters has not yet been found. Perhaps, rather than transferring the JDF, the government could consider relocating the JCF’s headquarters and some of the JCF’s areas of operations within the capital city to join the JDF at Up Park Camp. A JCF museum could also be added to the site at Up Park Camp to help improve and optimise the use of the lands at Up Park Camp without radically disturbing how those lands have been used (apart from those portions that have been sold off over the years) since the late 18th century.

Moreover, with the relocation of the JCF, that so-called prime real estate along Old Hope Road could be used for housing development, while the areas housing the other JCF operations to be transferred to Up Park Camp could be used for commercial or other such appropriate ventures.

Attempts to “retrofit” the capital city should not necessarily mean the destruction or disturbance of national monuments and landmarks, including green spaces, to build more houses.

Kevin KO Sangster

sangstek@msn.com