Holness outlines land bank audit and titling push to address informal settlements

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has said his administration is weighing several approaches to the problem of informal settlements, among them a review of land held in state-owned banks, which he argues is holding back national development.

Speaking at a land-titling ceremony for residents of Ackee Walk and Jackson Town in St. Andrew, held at Meadowbrook Church of Christ on Thursday, June 18, Dr. Holness told the audience that citizens deserve access to land and housing, but not through unlawful occupation.

"I want you to have land. I want you to be able to find somewhere to live, but… it cannot be done illegally and informally," he said.

The Prime Minister described a pattern seen across Jamaica, where people settle on property they neither own nor hold formal permission to use. That practice, he said, narrows the options available for planned growth.

"It limits how the Government can develop, because that piece of land may very well be a piece of land for a housing development, so that you could go and buy a house there. It may be the piece of land needed to put a sewage disposal plant, or a road might need to go through it… and it (informal settlement) essentially blocks the development options of the country," he explained.

Dr. Holness recognised that many Jamaicans face serious housing pressures. Even so, he maintained that informal settlements work against the long-term interests of those who live in them.

"The communities that they create will not be safe, cannot be serviced, and have no economic value in terms of passing on intergenerational wealth," the Prime Minister said.

He restated the Government's commitment to easing land access and pointed to steps already under way. These include naming Hon. Robert Montague as the minister with responsibility for land titling and settlements, with a mandate to speed up titling and regularisation for people in informal communities.

Dr. Holness also said he has instructed every agency that manages land banks to locate available plots and report them, as part of a fresh plan to respond to settlement pressures. A formal programme is expected soon.

"We're going to, very shortly, come with that so that people who want land can apply for it. It will be a competitive process," he told those gathered.

In his address, Mr. Montague, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, called on Jamaicans to seek land through lawful routes instead of occupying government property.

"There are consequences when you squat on government lands. We [will] give you sufficient warning [and] serve you adequate notice [to relocate]. [But] there comes a time when. [if you do not cooperate], we will have to remove you. It is not something we want to do, but it is something we must do, because this Prime Minister and this Government believe in orderly development," Mr. Montague said.