Move to formalise Retirement community

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:The acquisition of land titles by residents of Retirement, St James, is now back in the spotlight following a meeting of the Retirement Development Trust in which residents were advised to pay over $75,000 by September 14 for the land they occupied.

During a discussion with facilitator O. Dave Allen and Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, member of parliament for West Central St James, residents expressed concern over the timeframe to pay the funds and the implementation of infrastructure in the community.

Roads, electricity, street lights, and access to piped water are among the chief concerns that came out of the meeting with the Retirement residents at the Granville All-Age School.

"We (Retirement Development Trust) have been struggling for the past 15 years with the issue of land titles. We know that there are some challenges, but the titles are a big step forward in our efforts," said Allen.

With the renewed thrust to formalise the communities, Allen is encouraging the Housing Agency of Jamaica to re-engage the commu-nity in a more self-help-based approach to development as was envisioned in the Operation PRIDE concept.

"We need more development control, too. Many unaccounted-for people live in bushes within the periphery of the Retirement community. We need to put in proper infrastructure that will ensure proper policing. We cannot have adequate policing when the proper roads are not in place," Allen pointed out.

"It is ownership, and it gives persons the opportunity to access mortgage facilities to put in the road, sewage, and water."

jubilee endeavour

Ffolkes-Abrahams said the $75,000 fee would cover administrative costs to prepare the titles. According to her, the government-owned lands are being handed over as a means of empowering the people.

"There are a number of issues that need to be ironed out in terms of infrastructure - lights and roads, etc - and these are some of the things that are being questioned. We plan to have a meeting with the NHT (National Housing Trust) so we can get some consensus on the issue," she said.

"The general idea is that in the year of Jubilee, persons should have their titles and ownership of their land. This is our 50th year of Independence and I'm 100 per cent in favour of persons becoming landowners in the constituency. So we are going to work to ensure a smooth transition in the handing over of land titles," Ffolkes-Abrahams said.