KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Prime Minister Andrew Holness broke ground yesterday for the construction of 85 housing solutions in Phase 2A of the Longville Park Housing Development in Clarendon.

The project, to consist of 43 studio units and 42 serviced lots, will be developed by the National Housing Trust (NHT) at a cost of $366 million.

In his address, Holness said that he has requested the NHT to develop a programme to rehabilitate housing schemes built within the last 20 years.

Holness said the move is in recognition of the NHT’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

“We’re not going to look at all the schemes, but certainly the ones in need of serious repairs,” he noted.

The prime minister said the NHT would be looking at roadways, sidewalks, shared community spaces, putting in spaces for parks and physical activities “and where necessary and possible, we can do some amount of infrastructural improvement.”

He assured that the resources of the Trust are being used to fulfil its mandate of building houses and developing communities.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the NHT, Ambassador Nigel Clarke, said that the NHT intends to build out 9,000 acres of land in Clarendon.

He noted that the NHT is planning to develop the areas into a mix of residential, commercial and light industrial spaces.

Clarke informed that phases three and four of the Longville Park housing development are in the pipeline.

The chairman urged residents from the wider community to access the benefits of the NHT.

For his part, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang, said the Government is committed to offering Jamaicans an opportunity to own a home.

He pointed out that by owning a home the opportunity for squatting will be eliminated as “informal settlements generate many social ills, crime and social disorder.”

Member of Parliament for Clarendon South East, Rudyard Spencer, hailed the NHT for delivering on its mandate to build sustainable housing solutions.