THE MORRIS Park Estate in St. Catherine is to benefit from another housing development under the Ministry of Water and Housing's Joint Venture Programme through construction partners N.F. Barnes Construction and Equipment Company Limited.To date, two of four contracts, which were signed earlier this financial year, are well under way, while the third, which was signed February 26, is set for completion in August 2005. The developments will provide a total of 1,291 housing solutions for the area, said JIS, the Government's news agency.
The venture will see 29.75 hectares of land being developed into 397 residential service lots with an average size of 331 square metres each. The development will have roadways of 12.2 and 10 metre wide reservation with asphaltic concrete surface finish and kerb and channel drainage systems in some sections.
POTABLE WATER SUPPLY
It will further be serviced by a potable water supply from a deep well located on the project land, a central sewage collection system with treatment facility located in the south eastern section of the project land, and a Jamaica Public Service electrical distribution system.
In addition, provision will be made in open areas for community use and commercial space.
Minister of Water and Housing, Donald Buchanan said the development was in response to the urgent demand for affordable housing identified among persons in the lower and lower middle income categories in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) and the parish of St. Catherine.
He said recent surveys carried out by the National Housing Trust (NHT), in St. Catherine, estimated the housing market at 15,049 with an effective demand of 5,306 persons.
$1,800 AND $9,000 PER WEEK
Minister Buchanan said the "proposed development at Morris Park Estate would primarily be targeting persons in the housing market who are NHT contributors...earning between $1,800 and $9,000 per week."
Additionally, the estate is strategically placed and will benefit from both the existing transportation route to Kingston, Spanish Town and the general Portmore area as well as the commercial infrastructure.
Since its inception in 1994, the programme has seen the provision of over some 3,700 housing solutions worth $4.3 billion, and through projects currently under construction will provide an additional 5,725 solutions valued at $6.9 billion before the end of the 2004/05 financial year.
Minister Buchanan further indicated that there were an additional 11 projects being negotiated for joint ventures in the immediate future.
He said the ministry was anticipating executing six projects - currently in their intermediary stages - in the third and fourth quarter of 2004/05, to provide another 1,618 solutions.
- JIS
