ST MARY, Jamaica – People’s National Party (PNP) caretaker for St Mary Central Omar Newell says residents of Port Maria in St Mary will have easier access to housing solutions if the PNP forms the next government.

He made the promise Friday while addressing comrades during the PNP Bus Tour’s stop in the parish capital, noting that the party has already identified land for a possible new housing development in the town.

“There’s a major shortage of housing units in central St Mary because this government has deliberately not invested in the housing stock in this constituency,” Newell said.

“I talked to the next minister of housing and pointed out that the 600 acres of land up the road that the [Nationa] Housing Trust has, instead of them giving it to them friend or using it for some other purpose, we gonna use it for a housing development in the Port Maria area,” he added.

Housing has been a major area of focus for the PNP on the campaign trail.

The party says it will build 50,000 affordable houses over five years once it forms the Government.

The drive to build these low-income houses would be led by the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), which would be re-purposed for this effort, according to Opposition Leader Mark Golding in his contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate.

The PNP launched its two-day islandwide bus tour on Friday under the theme, “Jamaica Time Come for Better”, as part of its mobilisation efforts ahead of the next general election.