A final decision is still pending on the controversial proposed development of 54 serviced lots in the Long Mountain area of St Andrew by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), as the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has still not given the revised plan the green light.

The lots, intended primarily for housing, are to be sited between Long Mountain/Karachi Road, Long Mountain Country Club, Beverly Hills and Pines of Karachi, which are already high demand residential locations.

A NEPA spokesperson told the Jamaica Observer that due process requires that any changes made to an original design after an initial submission for approval, has to be subject to public scrutiny.

A second public presentation of the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed project is scheduled for April 25 at the Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew, said senior manager in charge of public relations at the HAJ, Richard Jones.

“NEPA has asked that another public presentation be made to allow the public to get further information on the environmental impact from the consultant (who conducted the EIA),” Jones said Monday, pointing to a similar public presentation and discussion of the EIA that was held late last year.

The EIA was conducted by Beverline Brown of EPN Consultants Ltd and referenced a number of the concerns raised by various interests, while recommending ways to help alleviate some of the problems that could result from the development of the area.

Among other things, EPN suggested:

* that the National Water Commission (NWC) monitor, on a monthly basis, effluent quality from the waste water treatment plant based on NEPA guidelines and standards, particularly during the early stages of operation;

* that NEPA and the developer put in place penalties for the unwarranted removal/cutting of trees.

* that the NWC monitor potable water supply quality monthly; and

* the education of residents and employees of the development on proper waste management practices by the National Solid Waste Management Authority and the Public Health Department.

Groups such as the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and the Beverley Hills Citizens’ Association have staunchly opposed any further housing development in the vicinity of Long Mountain, insisting that it is a protected area, and that building houses there could lead to a number of problems such as motor vehicle overcrowding, water supply shortage, flooding and greater susceptibility to earthquakes.

Last August, head of the island’s Earthquake Unit, Dr Lyndon Brown, placed on record his own worries over any further construction in the area, which is susceptible to tremors.

The geophysicist said sonar mapping of the area conducted by the Earthquake Unit in conjunction with the University of Texas in 2010 revealed “clear trends of fault lines running into Long Mountain from the Kingston Harbour”.

He urged that prior to any additional development, the authorities should do more in-depth studies to figure how much movement is actually occurring along these fault lines.

But HAJ president Joseph Shoucair in a letter to the media in October last year, said the agency was obligated to follow its mandate of providing housing solutions for Jamaican citizens.

However, he offerred that only a small part of the 230 acres owned by the HAJ would be developed, with some 200 acres being held in trust on behalf of the Jamaican people for the establishment of a national park.

Shoucair said the sale of the serviced lots would help to finance other HAJ development activities such as formalising sewage systems, and the improvement of drainage and the road network.

Commenting on the proposed development Monday, chief executive officer of JET, Diana McCaulay, maintained that the area should not be developed, as it is a designated green space under the law.

“If we are not going to honour these laws we’re going to lose every piece of green space in the city, and if you make an argument of expediency as to why just this piece should have houses on it, then you make a mockery of all of these planning designations. If it is designated green space then it should be a green space”, she said.