The distribution of lands is now taking place in the Cades Bay area in the St
Mary’s South constituency east of Urlings, and efforts are being made to ensure
that people who are from the area are first in line.
Senator Samantha Marshall, ABLP candidate for the constituency in the upcoming
general elections, said the lands are being sold at a very attractive price of EC$6.00
per square foot.
“The lands in question are on the hillside with a view of the sea and which are
prime lands that would ordinarily fetch a price of $20.00 per square foot or
upwards, which we are selling at a rate that is quite affordable given the quality of
the plots. On average, each plot is about a quarter of an acre or a little smaller
depending on how the land is sloped. This is the best that we are offering at this
price,” she stated.
Sen. Marshall noted that there have been suggestions from opposition-linked
sources that indicated that the lands were being sold at a higher price. This, she
reiterated is far from the truth.
“A lot of those persons you hear complaining are themselves making applications
for the lands even though they have been allocated land before. We have many
young people from the community who want an opportunity to own their ‘piece of
the rock’ and we are ensuring that they are prioritized during this distribution
process,” she added. According to Sen. Marshall acquiring lands in some of those
communities in the southern corridor has been difficult because much of the lands
are family owned with very little owned by the government to carry out any
development.
“Areas such as Johnson’s Point and Urlings have very little area left for expansion,
so we saw Cades Bay as the perfect opportunity to expand the community and give
the young people a chance to own a piece of land. To my knowledge, most of the
lands have been allocated, and it is people from the area who are benefitting,” she
noted.
She also announced the expansion of the housing development at Jolly Hill which
is being undertaken by CHAPA. The initial amount was for 75 homes, but she has
been able to encourage CHAPA to expand the project by making more land
available to sell to individuals who would then construct their own homes.
“There has been much interest in this development including from people who may
have submitted applications in the past. What we have done is asked CHAPA to
make these people the priority. This is the first of its kind of development for this
area,” she declared.
