Susan Gordon, Business Reporter

Samuels

The National Housing Trust has already got the nod, preliminarily, from relevant agencies and utilities on its plans to erect apartments on the property housing the Police High Command, but has put the project on hold to secure possession of the land by way of purchase.

Earl Samuels, boss of the state housing agency, said the NHT had already gone through the preliminary approval process with the building plans, but cannot push through for concrete approvals from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation unless it has possession of the property.

The 7.5 acre property, comprising three adjoining lots - 103-105 Old Hope Road - is owned by the Ministry of National Security which is in possession of two of the lots and Jamaica Promotions Limited (Jampro), which controls the third.

The Government had announced two years ago that it would relocate the existing police headquarters to the Jamintel building on Duke Street, Kingston and make the land available to be used for housing development for young professionals.

The Jamintel plan was subsequently railroaded, with no announcement about where the police commissioner and his senior cops would relocate.

Not a done deal

In fact, government sources said the High Command may remain on a section of the property, but Gilbert Scott, chief executive of the National Security Ministry, which pays and outfits the police, said it was not a done deal.

"The Police Headquarters is a matter of consideration but no such decision has been made," Scott told the Financial Gleaner.

The NHT meantime has taken its plans as far as the process allows, and has put that development 'on pause' until it gets possession of the land, said Samuels.

"We've had the plans for some time and got preliminary approvals where you have to write to all the relevant agencies - NWA, JPS, Cable and Wireless - to inquire if certain services are available in the area. We have gone through that stage," he explained.

"We have done our designs of the units but you have to have possession of the land then you can submit the plans."

The NHT designs include the three lots, including the portion owned by Jampro, he said.

The Financial Gleaner was unable to get a market value of the property from the Ministry of National Security but was advised by Realtor Anya Levy of Valerie Levy and Associates that the vendors could fetch prices between $50 million to $60 million per acre for housing development purposes which would average $412 million for the three lots.