MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has argued that a plan to construct 60,000 houses, if his party is returned to Government after the September 3 General Election, will be possible with new lands opened up through the construction of highways across the island.

“You see that highway we are building from Kingston going all the way around to Port Antonio [Portland]? They looked at it and want to criticise it but they can’t criticise it. That highway has opened up new lands for development,” said Holness as he addressed a JLP mass rally and election manifesto launch in Sam Sharpe Square, St James, Sunday night.

Holness noted that there are currently more than 8,000 applications for houses along the new highway corridor in St Thomas and added that this is a similar situation for the Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000 in Clarendon which was recently completed.

“We have opened up new lands there for housing as well, and you are going to see a whole heap of housing come along that stretch in Clarendon,” added Holness.

Turning to western Jamaica, Holness pointed to a new road and a new alignment that he said will go around Hopewell, Sandy Bay, and Lucea, all in Hanover, leading into Negril, sections of which are in Westmoreland.

According to Holness, this road is to be constructed following the Montego Bay perimeter road in St James.

“The present roadway, no matter how you fix it, it is always going to give you trouble because it is too close to the sea. Climate change is a real thing that impacts our infrastructure. And so, we are going to move the road inland. But as we move the road inland we are also opening up and making accessible new lands along those roads in Hanover and Westmoreland, where the housing demands there are very high,” stated Holness.

Switching to St Catherine, the JLP leader said the National Housing Trust (NHT) has been asked to coordinate a new master plan for the Greater Innswood area, a move that will bring 15,000 new houses onto the market.

“So, the People’s National Party come with a whole heap of talk, but the Jamaica Labour Party comes with the substance of what needs to be done to move Jamaica from poverty to prosperity. Stick with the better plan. Stick with the people who understand the issues. Stick with the people who have a better understanding and greater competence of delivery,” encouraged Holness who also told the cheering Labourites of plans for a mortgage interest reduction programme aimed at assisting some public sector workers.

“We will launch a one-in-five and a two-in-10 programme so that teachers and nurses and members of the security forces working in the public sector can receive a one per cent mortgage interest reduction after five years and a two per cent interest reduction after 10 years,” stated Holness.

He pointed out that this will be in addition to the low interest rates on NHT loans.

Jamaica Labour Party supporters in Sam Sharpe Square, St James, on Sunday.