Time To Take a Strategic Position of Redeveloping Kingston – PM Holness
The Government continues to take strategic steps to transform the city of Kingston.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the declaration yesterday (March 21) as he addressed the groundbreaking of another multi-storey housing development in Kingston.
The Prime Minister asserted that the decision to develop and modernise Kingston is a means of encouraging more people into the city.
“It is now time for us to take a strategic position of redeveloping Kingston. The truth is that Kingston’s carrying capacity in terms of population, could be well over a million, but the truth is that half of the population leaves every night and comes in every morning. What you want for a city for it to be vibrant and growing, you want the population to live, eat, sleep, play, do business right here and so you have to put in the amenities. Housing stock is important, the health welfare and amenities are important, security is important and once we start to have that what you will find is that a lot of the other problem becomes easier to solve once you start to have your population living in the urban areas,” said Prime Minister Holness.
In that regard, the Prime Minister said with the development of the capital city and an increase in visitors, he expects there will be a reduction in the cost of infrastructure and more.
“The truth is, that the global population is moving into cities right around the world and the science of the administration, the construction, the design of cities, the science has improved, and it is making the quality of life and the delivery of service much easier. And so, the strategy of the government is to encourage the development of the city and to attract more people into the city that reduces the cost of the infrastructure, it reduces the cost and the delivery of service, it improves administration and at the end of the day it improves the quality of life,” explained Prime Minister Holness.
This latest multi-storey housing development known as “The Cambridge” is being undertaken by Guardian Life Insurance Company.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the insurance company for its contribution to the development of Kingston.
“The Government appreciates what Guardian is doing and I want to commend you and I want to use you as an example to other investors. It doesn’t have to be housing but there are other areas of the economy where real investment can make a difference; investment that is going to bring employment and investment that is going to transform the built environment,” said Prime Minister Holness.
Prime Minister Holness said he expects that in a decade or more Kingston will be transformed.
“We want to make Kingston the centre for logistics and we want to make Kingston the pearl of the Caribbean and what we are doing in transforming our built environment, with all the projects that is coming. All of those major infrastructure developments, in a decade you will look back and say, I don’t recognize this place, the way in which we have transformed it and we are well on our way,” said Prime Minister Holness.
The Cambridge is a 176 – unit luxury apartment complex will be constructed at premises located at 2 to 4 Musgrave Avenue. The second project of its kind in the real estate industry to be embarked on by Guardian Life Limited.