KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Housing Trust (NHT) has been mandated to spearhead the Greater Innswood Development in St Catherine.

It will be modelled off the Greater Bernard Lodge Development; the communities also lie in close proximity to each other.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement Thursday during his contribution to the 2025/26 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives.

“I have given directives to NHT to lead a multi-agency team to undertake the master planning for lands at Innswood in addition to lands slated for development along the St Johns Road corridor,” Holness disclosed.

“This will include the development of solutions for drainage, traffic management and road improvement, regularisation of informal settlements, and the completion of settlement work for the Naseberry Grove community which was started, but never completed under Operation PRIDE (Programme for Resettlement and Integrated Development Enterprise). This will create the platform to coordinate and accelerate housing development in the area with the requisite infrastructure and amenities for sustainable communities,” the prime minister outlined.

He said there is significant private sector interest in the area and “some have been frustrated by slow and uncertain approval and lack of infrastructure. The Greater Innswood Development Project will solve these issues and create quality and affordable housing for the people of Jamaica”.

Meanwhile, the prime minister noted that the Greater Bernard Lodge Project was the first of this large-scale, master-planned development that represents a new era in sustainable and structured community development in Jamaica.

“Moving beyond the regularisation of existing settlements, we are also building entirely new planned settlements to provide high-quality affordable housing for Jamaicans,” he said. He highlighted that it was designed to provide housing, modern amenities, schools, police stations, and commercial spaces.

“This project is more than just a housing development—it is a holistically planned community that balances residential, commercial and social infrastructure. By integrating green spaces, essential services and economic opportunities, Bernard Lodge will offer a high quality of life for its residents while serving as a model for future planned developments across the island,” said Holness.

He cited that this approach ensures orderly urban expansion, reduces informal settlements and promotes well-designed, resilient communities, setting the standard for smart growth and sustainable living in Jamaica.

The project to build a new township commenced planning in 2018, with the aim to build 15,000 low- and middle-income housing solutions.

“To date, 6,000 units have been completed or are under construction with the remainder in varying stages of design, approval or contracting. The designated town centre is in the procurement phase, and social services—including a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school, hospital complex, police post, fire station, and transport hub—are set for implementation,” the prime minister told the Parliament.