New Urban Centre in Port Antonio, Portland
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, broke ground for the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio, Portland. According to the Prime Minister, project is set to provide a major economic boost for the coastal town. He delivered the main address at the ground-breaking on Wednesday (August 14), noted that the project will offer myriad benefits to the people and visitors of Portland, thus transforming the parish.
The facility will sit on 6.68 acres of land at a total development cost of $4.2 billion and is expected to generate thousands of jobs for residents of the parish.
It is being spearheaded by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) with equity partners National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Barita and financed by CIBC.
Similar to the Morant Bay Urban Centre, which remains under construction, the Boundbrook facility will be a hub for commerce and entertainment, housing government entities, educational facilities, financial institutions, private-sector entities such as fast food and fine dining eateries, gaming locations, medical facilities, business process outsourcing (BPO) entities, legal services, beauty salons and more.
He pointed to similar projects that are in the pipeline for development in Falmouth, Negril, Old Harbour and Hopewell.
“The plans are in place, the finances are in place, the technical skills are being put in place and the programmes are under way,” he noted.
For his part, FCJ Chairman, Lyttleton Shirley, revealed that take-up for the project now stands at 110 per cent, expressing confidence that it will be a “one-stop shop offering the services of the government and private sector in one location while adhering to all concerns of our residents”.
“We want to make this Boundbrook Urban Centre a must-stop as part of the ultimate Portland experience,” Mr. Shirley said, noting that the entity will ensure that it is completed within the 24-month construction period.
Meanwhile, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport and Member of Parliament for Portland Western, Hon. Daryl Vaz, welcomed the 3,000 jobs that are projected to be generated from the project.
Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern, Ann-Marie Vaz, called on the young people of the parish to ready themselves for the opportunities that will abound.
“Now is the time to upskill [and] the time to get certified, as this development is already providing jobs and will bring hundreds more during construction and afterwards, with new and expanded businesses that will be operating here,” Mrs. Vaz said.
Several other dignitaries and officials attended the ceremony, including Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill; Deputy Mayor of Port Antonio, Councillor Rohan Vassel; and NCB Financial Group Chairman, Hon. Michael Lee-Chin. Jamaica Information Service