Ground is to be broken for a new parliament building this year, which Prime Minister Andrew Holness says will be an iconic symbol of Jamaica’s sovereignty for generations to come.
The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) opened tenders for the construction of the new Parliament building on an eleven acre site at National Heroes Park last year. The multi-billion dollar project will include the construction of support buildings and landscaping of the park.
The construction of the new parliament building is part of the National Heroes’ Park redevelopment project, a component of a long-standing master plan to redevelop downtown Kingston. The Prime Minister has maintained that Parliament as it is now structured is insufficient to carry out the level of work that is required.
There were concerns in the past about the possible dislocation of residents living in communities surrounding the National Heroes Park, but homeowners have been promised that the value of existing communities such as Allman Town, Fletchers Land and Woodford Park will be increased arising from the improvements to the physical structure around these communities.
The ground breaking for the new parliament building is among a list of infrastructure projects slated for Jamaica’s 60th year of Independence. Holness listed others in his Independence Day Message, which includes the breaking of ground for the Montego Bay Perimeter Road project and improvements to the Donald Sangster International Airport.
“We have started work on the Morant Bay Urban Centre. Coupled with the South Coast Highway Improvement Project, the Centre will leave a lasting legacy to the people of the North Eastern Parishes,” he said.
