Plan Housing Developments with Climate Resilience in Mind – PM Holness
Prime Minister Andrew Holness says developers should frame housing developments with climate resilience in mind.
The Prime Minister says communities that are not properly planned can have an impact on the country’s climate.
“When we cut down trees, when we have improper disposal of waste, when we don’t treat our water resources properly all of those things can have an impact and we’re seeing the impacts now, we’re seeing it, the hotter times, the changing rainfall patterns and the persistent and frequent droughts,” said Prime Minister Holness.
The Prime Minister was speaking today (August 30) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Housing Trust (NHTs) Twickenham Glades Phase 4 development in St. Catherine.
According to the Prime Minister, the country stands a better chance of withstanding climate events and preserving the environment when more infrastructure is planned.
“I want the public to understand that Government is not insensitive to the issues of climate change, but the Government has to consider all the factors involved in the development of the country. There is no compromise that can be justified for our environment. We can’t replace the environment when we destroy it,” stated Prime Minister Holness.
In that regard, the Prime Minister said a part of the directive given to the NHT is to build more planned housing solutions to preserve the environment.
“The strategy of the Government is to be more instrumental, more forward planning in ensuring that we manage the space, the limited land space that Jamaica has in a way that is preserving of the environment,” said Prime Minister Holness.
In the meantime, the NHT will construct 110 single storey duplex units in Phase four (4) of Twickenham Glades. The project is expected to be completed by December 2020 at a cost of $1.466 billion.
The Prime Minister underscored that the latest phase of the Twickenham housing community will be developed with climate resilience in mind.
“If there were to be a weather event, this community should be able to withstand the weather event much better than an unplanned community and the truth is that we expect this community to contribute less to the degradation of the environment than an unplanned community,” asserted Prime Minister Holness.