Opposition proposes far-reaching plans for land ownership
Published:Wednesday | June 25, 2025 | 12:08 AM
Lothan Cousins, Clarendon South West member of parliament (MP), has proposed that a new People’s National Party (PNP) administration would amend centuries-old legislation that would allow for the adverse possession of government lands after being in possession of it for 25 years instead of the current 60 years. However, this would not apply to land on the foreshore, which would maintain the 60-year ceiling.
Cousins said a PNP government would allow for long-term occupants of government-owned land to be given the opportunity to purchase these lands at affordable rates, formalising tenure and providing the security families need to plan for the future. “We are not giving away land,” said Cousins. “But if you’ve lived on government land for decades, you deserve a path to ownership. That’s how we build pride, progress, and independence, not just for individuals, but for the nation.”
He said this approach draws on successful examples such as Dominica’s land regularisation programme, where long-term occupants were given legal ownership, helping to stabilise and uplift entire communities. Cousins stressed that regularising informal settlements is a win-win, giving land to the landless, restoring trust in government, and generating revenue through formal leasing and sales.
In his contribution to the Sectoral Debate on Tuesday, Cousins said a PNP government would move with alacrity to amend the Registration of Titles Act (ROTA) to provide for a shorter time frame for persons who have been living on government land to claim it.
He said the same rules that applied to private owners must be equivalent to those that apply to the Government.
“The Government of Jamaica is the largest landowner in the country, who can hardly account for what it owns, yet persons must meet high hurdles to get a title. This is wrong, and we commit to putting an end to this,” he said.
The opposition spokesman argued that many informal settlements were already being serviced by utility companies and may have benefited from infrastructure upgrades and interventions by various government agencies as well as MPs and councillors.
“It would, therefore, be hypocritical for us as leaders not to formulate a workable strategy to formally enable long-standing occupiers to acquire the properties they have possessed for decades,” Cousins added.
Under the 1833 ROTA, a person in adverse possession of Crown land is unable to apply for a possessory title unless they can prove such possession for 60 years.
Cousins said the six-decades requirement was being reduced in other jurisdictions. He said the United Kingdom had reduced the period to 10 years, save for land on the foreshore, which still requires 60 years.
“In simple terms, what this means is that the next PNP government will oversee what could be considered as the single largest transfer of wealth from the State to the hands of the people by formalising and correcting close to two centuries of injustice meted out to the Jamaican people by the Crown over the years.”
Cousins also suggested that a future PNP government would take bold steps to distribute Crown lands to those already in possession.
“We are not giving it away, but a system must be designed to ensure that those in possession for an extended period are given an opportunity to legally acquire these lands,” he said.
With each community having its own unique circumstances, Cousins said the approach would be to address these issues through consultation with residents and the relevant government agencies.
“In some cases, relocation may be necessary due to environmental and other factors which render certain areas uninhabitable.”