MANCHESTER, Jamaica – A total of 1,758 housing solutions will be available for purchase in Manchester when the National Housing Trust’s (NHT) Mount Nelson Housing Development is complete.

Ground was broken for the project by Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other key officials on Friday.

Situated on nearly 500 acres, three kilometres from Mandeville, the project is slated for completion in the next three years.

New Hall resident Citerina Atkins, who is the managing director of Girtes Agro Produce, said the community is eagerly awaiting the project.

“Residents of New Hall have been waiting in high expectation for this ground breaking, and cannot wait to see the development,” she said.

Mount Nelson is the first project being developed under the NHT’s Developer’s Programme, in partnership with Henan Fifth Construction Group Jamaica Limited.

Under the programme, the NHT provides the lands while the developer plans and executes the housing project and sells at least 80 per cent of the solutions to the NHT at an agreed purchase price. The developer must also finance and execute all aspects of the project.

The programme prioritises affordability, with at least 60 per cent of the units to be priced to meet the needs of the NHT’s lowest income-earning contributors.

The development will include a mix of one, two-bedroom and serviced lots.

Of the 1,758 solutions, 1,468 will be sold through NHT’s arrangements while the developer will bring to market the remaining 290 units.