PRIME Minister (PM) Andrew Holness has indicated that the Government of Jamaica will not be easing up on its quest to roll out major developments across the island to include the construction of at least four multi-billion-dollar urban town centres in rural parishes.

During a tour on Thursday of the property which was once the Goodyear Jamaica Limited in Morant Bay, St Thomas, Holness said the Government will be pressing ahead with the developments to avoid plunging into a recession.

“The plans that we have now, we are going to push ahead with them because the moment we stop, that is when we are likely to fall in a recession. Our investment and development plans, we are going to continue with them, push them, and we are going to keep driving employment and growth because the best and most secure way of caring for the vulnerable, the poor and the unemployed is to keep the economy turning so that we all can benefit from the economy. This [Morant Bay project] is just one of the projects that will ensure the economy of St Thomas keeps on turning,” Holness declared.

The former Goodyear plant is currently being cleared for construction of a $6-billion town centre.

The PM added: “Almost all of our town capitals are in need of this kind of intervention. The plan of the Government is to ensure that the country has proper spatial management and proper urban spaces where everyone can feel safe, secure, and can feel that they are in a modern setting. That is a challenge, especially for our young people who feel that the infrastructure in their country is just not sufficient for what they would want to be able to enjoy and to work, live and play in. Even as the country faces a crisis which is not of its own making, a crisis which we have no control over, we are not losing faith and hope in the future.”

Further, Holness highlighted other similar developments the Government plans to promote.

“Falmouth is being planned as we speak, and that is a 50-acre plot of land that we have on which we will be doing something similar. We are looking at Boundbrook, which is far advanced. The plans for that are complete, the financing is about to be complete, and we could start that within our 60th year of Independence. We are also looking at Old Harbour. Spanish Town, as you know, is close to my heart for more reasons than one, and whilst we have not yet put to paper the designs, Spanish Town is an area of Jamaica that has so much cultural and heritage assets that we need to preserve and develop. Spanish Town is next on our radar as an urban township that needs intervention,” he shared.

Speaking on the town centre project in St Thomas, Holness said it will revolutionise the parish and upgrade its status from a place of rebellion.

“I am very pleased to finally see that work has started. I wish to say to the contractors, China Harbour, that for some time now it has been said that St Thomas is the forgotten parish. It has indeed been the case that St Thomas is the parish of, I would like to say revolution, instead of rebellion. This is the parish that sparked a change in how the colonial powers administered the affairs of the country. The parish deserves the attention that it is now getting. We want the work to proceed apace.

“This project means a lot to the Government of Jamaica and we would want to see that the contractors move apace as quickly as possible to get the project implemented. It will mean quite a lot for the people who work here and so, as far as possible and as much as possible, locals should lead the way in that regard.”

Excited that work is finally underway on the St Thomas project is Lyttleton “Tanny” Shirley, the chairman of Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), the entity leading the project alongside the Government.

“The facility will be an all-inclusive integrative facility with order, functionality, security — and that is what we would have achieved in the design concept. We will have a park that is very similar to Emancipation Park that will be very historic. We are going to have a museum that symbolises the history of St Thomas. What you are seeing here is the site preparation; it is a large site that is full of vegetation.

“As you know, it’s an area prone to flooding so all the necessary levels are important to go through before we get the construction going. In this space we will have the parish council, several government entities, various food courts. As you know, there is a particular food company that the parish of St Thomas wants to have here. I am happy that they are not only going to be here but have been advertising that they will be here. I am happy to announce that presently, we are over 130 per cent booked. We have more demand for space than we presently have,” Shirley said.