Greater Bernard Lodge development plan moving ahead
Published:Saturday | June 26, 2021 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the Greater Bernard Lodge master plan will see a new development that will serve as a model for others islandwide.
Holness, who had instructed in 2019 that the development master plan for the Greater Bernard Lodge be revised based on public concerns, toured the proposed site on Friday, where infrastructural work has already started to install water mains.
“We have seen developments like this in Jamaica before, but this one is slightly different, because it is a mix of agriculture development, light industry, industrial agriculture, urban township development and social infrastructure and some very creative environmental and recreational space development as well,” the prime minister said.
He said the development will see 15,000-16,000 housing solutions, 1,300 acres of land reserved for small and medium-size farmers, and some light industrial agricultural applications as well.
During Friday’s tour, one industrial agricultural development that is currently been pursued on about 400 acres of land was highlighted by Holness as a model because of its integration of technology into agriculture.
“There were concerns earlier whether the project would materialise. Well, the project has started and is probably the most modern agricultural facility in Jamaica, with the ability to grow, produce and process as well,” Holness said, adding that it will be integrated with the produce being cultivated by the small and medium-size farmers.
He stressed that the Bernard Lodge development would not displace agriculture.
“Some relocation has had to occur; nobody is displaced. I have given strict instructions to Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings (SCJ) and the Ministry of Agriculture that the farmers should not made worse off,” Holness said.
He said provisions are being made to establish a water-retention pond to hold 10 million gallons of irrigation water that will be gravity-fed to supply farmers’ needs, and over time, farm roads would be established.
“Over time, what you will see in that 1,300 acres is a planned agricultural community,” according to Holness.
Performance clause
He said agricultural land lease arrangements will put in with transparency.
“So there is a performance clause in the lease contract for agricultural leases. We have now a lease management unit that will ensure that every single lease is performing,” he said.
A similar approach will be used for lands made available for housing. He said some developers already have access to land based on prior arrangements, but all the other acreages – close to 1,000 acres – will be competitively let.
Holness said that an enterprise team, separate from SCJ and under the direction of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and supervised by the Development Bank of Jamaica, will use a transparent process to divest the lands.
He said the developer will pay upfront an impact fee, which is an assessment of cost to contribute to the infrastructure development. This fee, he revealed, is already being collected.
Chairman of the Greater Bernard Lodge enterprise team, Linval Freeman, said qualified developers will be those who displayed financial capabilities, have excellent project plans and can show that they have the ability to execute on time, as well as those who can comply with environmental protocols.
Freeman said there are several blocks available for the development of the thousands of housing units that will be in a gated setting,. Also, blocks are available for a modern town centre, open and green spaces as well as a recreational town.