MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the National Housing Trust (NHT) has 3,406 housing units and serviced lots earmarked for Manchester as part of the Government’s housing target over the next five years.

Speaking at the handing-over ceremony of 82 serviced lots and 30 two-bedroom units at the Perth Estate Phase 1A in Manchester yesterday, Holness said the 3,406 lots and houses will be at Perth Estate Phase 2 and Mount Nelson.

“In Perth [Phase] 2, the NHT is now building 1,406 housing solutions for the people of Manchester, so in all the history of the NHT put together, since our new mandate to build houses, the NHT has increased the thrust power multiple times over to now moving from 100 and 200 to now doing 1,406, and that is not a promise, that is happening now,” he said.

He said the other 2,000 housing units and serviced lots are planned for Mount Nelson.

“What never happened in 40-odd years will happen in the next two years. You will have 1,406 housing solutions for Manchester already in the ground to be delivered shortly and then by 2023 we will start already 2,000 units and that will significantly increase the supply of housing for persons in Manchester,” he said.

Manchester is being eyed for significant development with the construction of the US$188-million May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000.

The project — which will reduce travel time between Kingston, Mandeville, and other points west — was originally scheduled for completion in October 2022, but has been extended to January 2023.

Holness, meanwhile, responded to criticism of the NHT developments being primarily focused on the Corporate Area and St Catherine.

“I’m glad that we are here outside of the Corporate Area because I was looking at some of the comments on social media on the opening of our last property development, which was in St Catherine,” he said.

“One of the comments was [that] Jamaica is not Kingston and St Catherine. We need developments all over, so I am very happy that right on the heels of that we are right here in Manchester displaying for the public to see that the NHT’s portfolio is not concentrated [only] in St Andrew and St Catherine, but it is all across Jamaica,” he added.

He said there “are a few parishes that the NHT doesn’t have a footprint, and we are working to solve that”.

Holness reiterated that the Government is committed to providing 70,000 housing solutions (serviced lots and units) through the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) in the next five years.

He said the NHT has 12,019 units under construction and is planning 9,641 units.

“When you put that together to be delivered within the next five years and probably long before the next five years [it adds up to] 21,660 units… 70,000 is what we committed to the people of Jamaica. The HAJ is already [on the] ground with several housing developments and they will contribute at least 8,000,” he said.

“We are not doing too badly in terms of meeting the requirement,” he added.

He said the Government has about 40,000 housing solutions to bring to the public to fulfil its commitment.

He said there were 2,189 applications for the 112 solutions in Perth Estate.

“The demand at this price point is 20 times more than what is being supplied here, so you see the magnitude of the problem and why many Jamaicans would not just be sceptical, but cynical. Will the Government ever be able to generate the level of housing that would be able to satisfy the demand?” he said.

“It is going to be an ongoing battle between Government and its people to get them to believe and to buy into the notion that the NHT, the HAJ, and the Ministry of Housing are moving as fast as they can to help you to achieve your dreams,” he added.

He said housing is a multidimensional, complex undertaking, which adds greater layers of approvals and permitting, bureaucracy and financing to ensure that it is liveable and a protected investment.

“The Government is working through all of those issues in order to build its internal capacity to rapidly increase the number of housing that comes to the market each year,” he said.