SPICY HILL, Trelawny – Hopeful homeowners in Trelawny will have to wait until 2028 for most of the almost 2,000 housing units the National Housing Trust (NHT) now has planned for the parish. According to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, less than 10 per cent will be delivered next year.

“The NHT is saying they have 1,995 new units planned for the parish of Trelawny. One hundred and ninety-five of those units are slated to be delivered next year, 2024; but 1,300 are slated to be delivered in 2028,” Holness said.

Speaking at a recent ceremony where keys were handed over to 35 new owners of property that form part of the Windsor Hills housing development in Spicy Hill, Trelawny, he expressed the need for more houses to be completed much quicker.

“When I see this plan for 2028 I am saying to the NHT, that can’t work. You have to go much faster,” Holness said.

As he has done in the past, he blamed the slow pace of efforts to increase the housing stock on the level of bureaucracy within the Government he leads. Procedures in place to fight corruption have often been blamed for causing undue delays. Holness wants to see a more balanced approach.

“Jamaica is now layered in a very dense and thick coating of its public bureaucracy on compliance. Compliance is necessary to combat corruption but we must become far more adroit in how we comply with the rules and, at the same time, deliver results,” the prime minister mused.

In addition to the 35 one-bedroom houses, 42 service lots were also handed over during the recent ceremony. These 77 solutions are part of the 195-unit first phase of the development. During the ceremony, Member of Parliament for Trelawny Northern Tova Hamilton also spoke of the role red tape played in its delay. Ground was broken in 2012, and work began on the Windsor Hills housing project five years ago. It was slated to be completed in two years.

“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the elephant in the room, the inefficiencies that led to some delays in the project. While the ambitions were high, so too were the hurdles faced from administrative bottlenecks to unforeseen challenges. The path was not at all smooth. The effect of these inefficient systems is not just a delay in timelines, it has real-world implications on development progress and the livelihoods of many,” she said.

“However, let this be a lesson to us all about the importance of continuously refining and improving our processes for the greater good. Notwithstanding the delays, today is a testament of our commitment to the people. Our ability to rise above challenges and deliver on promises is a reflection of our collective will and determination,” the MP added.

As Holness noted, the second phase of the project will see 118 service lots being handed over.

“I’m hopeful that that will be very soon,” he said.

Of the 77 units handed over during the ceremony at which he was speaking, nine were reserved for public sector workers and individuals with disabilities, like 52-year-old Shauna Adderley.

She jointly applied for the unit with her spouse, Trevor McDonald. They currently live in Friendship, which borders Bunker’s Hill where she works at the health clinic. She is already mulling over expansion of the Windsor Hills property to accommodate one of her four children. The other three are adults.

She said she has wanted to leave Friendship for a while.

“I am so happy, real happy to have it…I have a daughter who will be coming to live with me,” she said of her new house.

She noted that her spouse is a landscaper who will enjoy “planting up the yard”.