CHRISTIANA, Manchester —Prime Minister and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Andrew Holness has doubled down on his Administration’s promise of urban development for rural areas.

“For decades now there has been no real plan for the urban development of Jamaica and for the development of our rural townships. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has been the only Government that I can recall, except let’s say for the building of downtown Kingston and new Kingston, to have strategically taken on the development of small townships,” he said on Friday during a site visit at the Christiana tax office.

Holness was responding to a question posed by the Jamaica Observer regarding Opposition Leader and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding’s “don’t hold your breath” comment over JLP’s promises of urban development.

Holness reiterated that his Administration has not been merely about “talk”.

“We have a plan which is well underway now for the development of the Morant Bay Urban Centre, that is not talk, that is not a wish, that is not a vision anymore, that is being converted to reality, you can drive pass there and you can see the Morant Bay Urban Centre being constructed,” he said.

He also pointed to plans for the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio and the Bernard Lodge development underway in St Catherine.

“We have plans for Lucea in terms of [its] redevelopment. We have plans for other townships as well, including Negril. The country will see the modernisation of rural townships. Right now they are congested. There are challenges with garbage collection. Challenges with just the aesthetics of the urban space. We are going to improve that and we have started,” said Holness.

He said the construction of the Christiana tax office is expected to be completed within four months.

“The people of not just north-east Manchester, but parts of Trelawny, Clarendon and St Ann will benefit from this. The bigger picture that I would want to say to Jamaica is that we are paying close attention to the development of rural townships,” said Holness.

The prime minister toured sections of Manchester as part of the JLP’s local government election campaign on Friday. He toured areas including the Bellefield Division, which is considered to be a stronghold of the PNP.

Holness also toured Walderston, Christiana and Craighead in the Manchester North Eastern constituency alongside Member of Parliament Audley Shaw and councillor candidates. He also visited Mile Gully in Manchester North Western and Alligator Pond in Manchester Southern.