Andrew Green, Acting Financial Editor
Barry Rattray discussing his development of Harbour Head beach in Kingston. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
'With the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the offing, the focus is once again beginning to shift. The Harbour Head development is seen as a significant attraction for visitors coming for the cricket.'
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER Barry Rattray is developing the Harbour Head Beach into a playground for residents of the capital city.
The $35 million development will transform the Harbour View beachfront property into an area for dining and recreation. The four and a half acre property runs from the dry dock between the Sir Florizel Glasspole Highway and the harbour reaching almost as far as the Harbour View Roundabout in Kingston.
The project is being developed by Swirls on the Harbour Limited, in which he is the majority shareholder.
"I want to use architecture to help people relax and enjoy themselves," he stated. "It is going to be rustic but classy, with a spirit of old Jamaica."
The project falls within the spirit of developments which had been planned for the harbour waterfront development from the 1960s. One proposal by Stanley Consultants Inc. in 1968 had foreseen the development of a formal recreational zone stretching from Windward Road to Port Royal.
This flowed logically from the then existing role of the area where there had been such facilities as Sirgany Beach, Gunboat Beach and Bournemouth Bath.
SHIFT IN FOCUS
Subsequent attempts by state agencies to kick-start development in the area have largely fallen flat as people and businesses began retreating from the downtown area with the development focus shifting to St. Andrew.
Now with the Cricket World Cup 2007 in the offing, the focus is once again beginning to shift.
The Harbour Head development is seen as a significant attraction for visitors coming for the cricket, said Mr. Rattray. It includes a boardwalk with speciality shops and a games room.
Apart from fish ponds, a bird sanctuary and landscaped gardens, there will be a pool, children's playground and picnic areas.
What will make the project special is the integration of structures in water, he said. So there will be two dining areas with an authentic seafood restaurant and another serving jerked food.
"But you will not be dining in a dining room. You will dine in a gazebo," he said with a smile. "The gazebo will not be on land, but in the sea, with water spouting from the roof."
There will be a floating dance floor and the development is designed to fit into the beachfront setting as well as the history of the area, located on former war department lands. The property was leased on a long term basis a year ago from the Tourism Product Development Company.
The main structure in the development is the boathouse which will have an air-conditioned restaurant on the roof, he stated. It will be built to resemble a boat to carry off the nautical theme of the development.
"I designed it and I am building it myself to offer a relaxed, down-to-earth atmosphere," he said. The aim is to provide a comfortable environment for Jamaican families that will also serve as an attraction for overseas visitors, he said.
"You can come and play dominoes and eat roast corn with prices in keeping with those at Port Royal," he concludes.
