Building boom
Local authorities see sharp increase in requests for construction approvals, says McKenzie
JAMAICA’S municipal corporations have reportedly processed almost $2-trillion worth of building approvals since 2016 when the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) returned to power.
Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie reported a spike in building approval requests on Wednesday during his contribution to the 2025/26 Sectoral Debate.
“Specifically, since 2016, over 37,000 applications, reflecting an investment value of nearly $1.7 trillion have been approved for processing,” McKenzie told the House of Representatives.
He noted that despite the highly technical nature of the review process, the rate of approving these applications has never fallen below 84 per cent.
“What has never been talked about, or highlighted, is the contribution of the development approvals process to direct job creation in Jamaica. Over the last nine years, the local government system, through the development approvals process, has generated approximately 740,000 jobs through construction projects of every size.
“This is local government in action, on the ground, making things happen and changing peoples’ lives for the better,” said McKenzie.
He told the House that last year, 4,442 applications were received, representing an investment value of $187.7 billion.
“There was a 117 per cent increase in the number of industrial applications received for the calendar year. This reflects a significant upturn in the industrial sector, as business interests have submitted applications for the development of factories and related infrastructure,” said McKenzie.
He added: “Just as important, most of these industrial applications were for larger developments, representing a 167 per cent increase in the number of larger industrial applications received”.
The local government minister said 27 per cent of the building applications were for larger residential developments such as multi-family residences, high-density apartments and townhouses, while there was an 11 per cent increase in the number of applications to build large resorts.
“The trend of investor confidence is also reflected in a six per cent increase in the number of applications for larger commercial developments; 3,598 permits were issued during the year, representing an investment value of $149.7 billion,” McKenzie said.
