LUCEA, Hanover — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has reaffirmed that the long-awaited transformation of Lucea’s Fort Charlotte into a heritage entertainment site remains a top priority. He cited rapid expansion of tourism-related developments in the parish as one reason for renewed urgency in getting the project done.

Fort Charlotte is a historic heritage site.

“With the expansion of Palladium [hotel], there is going to be a greater demand. And secondly, the further expansion of Princess [Hotels and Resorts], with a casino down there and a thousand more rooms added. Then we have Rhodes Hall development to come, with another thousand rooms from Wyndham Viva. The whole of that area is going to be asking for high-end entertainment and good quality experiences, and Fort Charlotte stands as that hope for the area,” explained Bartlett in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer.

The largest hotel to be constructed in Jamaica in recent times, Princess Hotels and Resorts opened two hotels in December and is scheduled to open Jamaica’s first casino within approximately four months’ time.

Plans for Fort Charlotte, which have been on the table for more than two decades, include a vision to develop it into a tourist attraction with facilities including an amphitheatre, museum, restaurants, and gift shops. More recent plans include rehabilitation of the historic site and integration into a broader transformation of Lucea as a resort town, with a focus on tourism, infrastructure, and preservation efforts.

Bartlett told the Observer that a shift in infrastructure plans for the area necessitated a comprehensive redesign.

“I tell you, we have to rethink the whole area, given what the new infrastructure arrangements are planned for Lucea and the areas around. We now have to think holistically. And when we plan, it has to be for a longer view. The short term, you know, quick-fix arrangements, we have to abandon and really look at how the entire area is going to look,” the minister stressed.

“We have an architect, Gordon Gill, who is looking at a number of places for us. He’s one of the best in the world, and a Jamaican. He has done the architecture for the new high-end hotel that we’re talking about in Paradise in Westmoreland. And he is also looking at re-architecturing the Montego Bay waterfront and the whole area. So we think that we need to look now at a different, you know, vista, and to see Jamaica far more holistically than the piecemeal arrangement that has obtained over time. And this is what I think the fourth term offers: An opportunity for us to take some hard look and to make big decisions that are going to ensure the long-term benefit of the country,” added Bartlett.

He noted that the reimagined Fort Charlotte project will require a significant capital outlay.

“Fort Charlotte is definitely on the cards. I know people are a little impatient because we’ve talked about Fort Charlotte a lot, but it requires a certain level of US-dollar investment, which we are beginning to see,” said Bartlett.

He outlined more of the big-picture thinking behind the project.

“As we change the way in which commuting happens and Lucea becomes more of a Georgian Town that we can now promote as a tourist town — and that’s what the whole objective is, to pedestrianise it in time. And then Fort Charlotte would come into its own as a major entertainment centre that can now connect the cruise arrangement that you heard me talk about — the effort to try to build more ports around Jamaica — so that we could create a Jamaican itinerary. And that’s where Fort Charlotte would come in handy,” explained Bartlett.

He acknowledged possible concerns regarding the fort’s proximity to institutions such as Rusea’s High School (Fort Charlotte campus) and Noel Holmes Hospital.

“In building the whole area, one has to look at the environment around it. And, you know, nothing is static. And then we have to talk with the Parish Council [Hanover Municipal Corporation], we have to talk with the residents, students’ association too, and so on. So it’s a whole development that has to happen with Fort Charlotte at the centre, recognising the economic value of it and what it will mean, but not denying the educational requirements and the needs,” noted Bartlett.

“We also have a hospital that is close by, so we have to think that through, and how we can reallocate, redistribute, replace, and repurpose to ensure that we get the best result for the town,” he added.

The fort, which was built in the mid-18th century by the British for defence of the North Westerly section of the island, is currently owned by the Hanover Municipal Corporation. It was built during the reign of King George III of England and was named after his wife, Charlotte.

The view from a section of the Fort Charlotte property which was constructed in the mid-18th Century by the British (Photo: Anthony Lewis)