THE Urban Development Corporation (UDC) says talks have begun to establish the country’s third city, following a directive from Prime Minister Andrew Holness to make this a priority of the corporation and one of its three core goals.

Holness gave the charge at the first meeting of the newly installed board on July 14. He said a new city would help to alleviate the urban overflow from Kingston and reduce the burden on the capital’s infrastructure, while noting that the establishment of a third city would support the Government’s objective of having two-thirds of the Jamaican population living in urban centres.

The UDC, in a response to a Jamaica Observer query on the matter, said while plans are afoot to develop this city, it is still too early for specifics.

“The UDC board held its first meeting on July 14, at which time the mandate was given. The UDC will, therefore, have to carry out the requisite due diligence regarding the possible locations to guide the determination. It would therefore be premature to indicate a location at this time,” the UDC statement said.

Noting that developing a third city would be a “major project”, the UDC said a collaborative approach would be required from different stakeholders in addition to sound analysis and project management skills. It said all of these skills and abilities can be found in the “multidisciplinary work force at the UDC”.

The commission was not able to give a projected timeline for starting and completing the project.

However, it said a private/public sector approach has been found to be the most constructive in projects of this nature, in terms of funding.

“So we anticipate the input of all stakeholders in making this dream a reality in line with the mandate issued by the prime minister and in keeping with the spirit of Vision 2030…,” the UDC said.

The prime minister also urged the Ransford Braham-led board to move forward with the transformation of Kingston into a city commensurate with international standards, as well as to support the development of Montego Bay, St James, as a part of the three core development goals.

While plans for the renewal of Kingston are already in train, with particular focus on the downtown, waterfront and Port Royal areas, Holness expressed a desire for the waterfront to be “the driving force for all of Kingston”.

Noting that a policy decision had already been taken for Kingston to be restored as a port of call, he pressed home the importance of the city to thrive as a destination for lifestyle entertainment and as a centre for transshipment, investment, finance and welfare.

Giving consideration to elements such as a national museum, parks and historical buildings, which would restore civic pride, Holness implored the UDC to “build something that projects Jamaica — where we are coming from, who we are, and where we are going”.

Holness also spoke to the construction of a bypass to mitigate traffic congestion in Montego Bay. He said the resolution of housing inadequacies would also be prioritised in tandem with advancing the implementation of the Montego Bay redevelopment plan.