THE MINISTRY of Transport and Works is putting an ease to the concerns of residents of the Rowington Housing Scheme, near Vernamfield in Clarendon, after citizens there received an order to stop developments to their units.

In a letter to some residents, the National Housing Trust (NHT) said it ceased disbursing development loans upon instructions from the Ministry of Transport and Works. The ministry is spearheading a project to develop Vernamfield.

The project will include the development of an airport slated to cost $28 billion and the relocation of the Jamaica Defence Force from Up Park Camp in St Andrew. The lands currently occupied by the residents - many of whom are sugar workers - are owned by the New Yarmouth Sugar Estate, but was leased to them.

Deliberate act

The action has left many residents irate and confused as they claim there was no dialogue with them about the ministry's intentions. Some suggested that it was deliberately done to force them to relocate.

Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller also took the Government to task over the issuance of the stop order.

But the ministry says it had told residents at a community meeting in August that a hold would be put on construction until it had completed a socio-economic study to determine the impact the development would have on surrounding communities.

The meeting was held at the Gimme-Me-Bit Primary School on the outskirts of the Rowington Housing Scheme. Other meetings to be organised by the NHT will be held for residents in other communities. The ministry says the findings of the study will determine if residents need to be relocated or whether it should scale back development in the area.