Wick Hall Estate breaks ground for 221 homes in Spanish Town

Prime Minister Andrew Holness joined St. Catherine officials, developers and financiers for the official groundbreaking of Wick Hall Estate, a planned 221-home residential development on 36 acres at Featherbed Lane in Spanish Town.

Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott said the project reflected the wider renewal of the old capital and announced that the municipal corporation would move to rename Featherbed Lane as Featherbed Drive. He said the change would mark the transformation now taking place in the area.

The development is being led by Norman Horne, founder and executive chairman of Ark Manufacturing Limited, through Altra Homes. Horne said the project was intended to advance home ownership for Jamaican families, describing a home as a route to security, dignity and generational wealth.

He said Wick Hall Estate would include three housing types, a gated layout, clubhouse, pool, park, playground and green space covering close to seven acres. The homes are also expected to include solar water heaters, hurricane-resistant windows and designs suited to Jamaica’s climate. Horne also highlighted a First Global Bank programme allowing eligible buyers to access mortgages with as little as one per cent down.

NCB, represented by vice-president for corporate banking Karen Lyn, is providing project financing and said the development would help meet demand for quality housing while supporting employment, investment and economic activity in Spanish Town and wider St. Catherine.

Member of Parliament Dr. Andrew Wheatley welcomed the investment, saying South Central St. Catherine was open for more residential and commercial development.

Holness used the ceremony to call for greater private-sector participation in affordable housing, saying Government could not close Jamaica’s housing gap on its own. He said organised communities near roads, water and economic activity were critical to productivity and warned that unplanned settlements carried long-term social and infrastructure costs.