Government to Redevelop Charles Gordon Market in St. James and Other Markets Across Jamaica
“I bring good news for the people of St. James regarding the improvement of the Charles Gordon Market and adjoining facilities, but even greater plans for the improvement of the market districts as a whole.”
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– Prime Minister Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the government will undertake a comprehensive redevelopment of several markets and recreational spaces across the island.
This is to modernize the facilities and improve pedestrian and vehicular traffic while maintaining commercial flow.
“The government is going to place a spotlight on improving markets across Jamaica. It is part of our thrust for the improvement of local communities and urban spaces. That thrust will not only be improving markets, but also improving local recreational spaces such as parks. The focus on markets is primarily to improve the flow of traffic both for pedestrian and for vehicular traffic in the urban spaces,” said Prime Holness.
The Prime Minister noted that from his observations, the level of commerce that could take place in the districts where the markets are located could be significantly more if traffic and commercial flows were properly organized.
Speaking on Monday, January 8, 2024 during a tour of the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, St. James, the Prime Minister stated: “We are going to undertake a redevelopment of the Charles Gordon Market but in phases and the first phase is, as the Minister of Local Government has pointed out, repairs to the roof. We have started to repair the structures and beams and then we will go the inside of the market, take out the stalls, put in new stalls, repair the surface.”
Additionally, the Prime Minister underscored that substantial redevelopment will also be done on an adjoining informal market in the town which experiences significant flooding when it rains.
In the meantime, with the building plans and designs in place, Prime Minister Holness underscored that a budgetary allocation will be made to facilitate improvements to the markets in Montego Bay and across the island.