PNP slams 'premature opening' of Morant Bay Urban Centre as tenants await electricity

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) says Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness should "immediately clarify" reports that the $6 billion Morant Bay Urban Centre "remains incomplete and largely inaccessible to tenants" nearly a year after its official opening.

“The facility still lacks basic utilities and faces unresolved sewage issues, with the vast majority of commercial spaces yet to be handed over. ...It is an act of fiscal irresponsibility and a disservice to the people of St Thomas,” said Anthony Hylton, the Opposition spokesman on industry in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Prime Minister stood at that site in May 2025, cut a ribbon, and took credit for a project that was, and remains, a construction site. They spent millions on a political backdrop when it should have been obvious that the work was incomplete and that move-in dates were a distant reality.”

The Opposition's comments follow a Nationwide Radio report on Monday highlighting frustrated tenants and incomplete utilities,covering electricity, running water, and ongoing construction issues. China Harbour Engineering Company, the project contractor, reportedly told the state-owned Factories Corporation of Jamaica, the project lead, that remaining works cannot be completed until electricity and water issues are resolved.

On Monday, FCJ Chairman Lyttleton 'Tanny' Shirley said by the first week of March, tenants will have power from the Jamaica Public Service company, the country's main provider.

“We are on site right now. We have confirmed that being back on site by the end of this month, going into the first week of next month, all the [tenants] tanks will be able to have a certification to go and access electricity,” he told Nationwide Radio. He also said the electricity work was disrupted as JPS had to divert resources to respond to the hurricanes - Beryl in July 2024 and Melissa in October last year.

Shirley said the water issue would be resolved this week.

The Opposition spokesman argued that the ceremonial opening was premature and amounted to political theatre, suggesting it was timed for electoral advantage. He contended that local retailers who prepared for occupancy have suffered financial setbacks as a result of the delays. The general election was held in September 2025.

“These small business operators planned their finances, secured stock, and waited for their keys. Ten months later, they are still waiting, bleeding revenue every day the gates remain closed to them,” Hylton added.

While one fast-food outlet, KFC, opened in December 2025, Hylton said this does not reflect the overall readiness of the complex

He is demanding full disclosure regarding the role of the FCJ in financing the project, as well as an accounting of how cost overruns and delays are being funded.

“The people of Jamaica deserve better than political theatre funded by the public purse,” he said.

The Morant Bay Urban Centre was officially opened by Prime Minister Holness on May 15, 2025, during a ceremony in which he declared that St Thomas was no longer the “forgotten parish.”

The industrial and commercial complex was developed through public-private partnership led by the FCJ. Ground was broken for the project in June 2019. A loan agreement is being facilitated through the National Commercial Bank.

In December, the FCJ Chairman said some leeway had been extended to the tenants to buildout their spaces. He said he expected some of the businesses to be operational in the next few months.

“We have been gracious enough to extend the three-month build out period in which they go in and retrofit the space to their business requirements,” Shirley told the Financial Gleaner.

At the launch, Holness described the project as a transformative investment in the parish, pointing to more than $32 billion spent on road and other infrastructure improvements in St Thomas. He also highlighted plans for a modern court facility and additional amenities in the vicinity of the centre.

Government agencies and private-sector entities were symbolically presented with keys at the opening ceremony, including HEART/NSTA Trust, the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, the National Housing Trust and several commercial operators. The St Thomas Municipal Corporation is also to be based at the centre.

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