Progress made on lots earmarked for Cooper’s Pen residents

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The procurement of amenities, including water for the lots set aside for displaced residents of Cooper’s Pen, has begun, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Wednesday. “We have completed the survey of the land, so the land is now divided up into lots and we have started the procurement of the services to put in place the roads, the water and other basic amenities and so the residents will have access to that,” Holness said. The prime minister shared the update while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kingston 2 development in downtown Kingston on Wednesday. Around 20 homes found to be illegally occupied by residents in Cooper’s Pen Trelawny, based on a court ruling, were demolished in an early morning exercise on August 11, leaving dozens of families without shelter. READ: ‘Devastating’ demolition The controversial demolition prompted social assistance from the government, including the provision of tents and the procurement of lots for qualifying families to purchase. Acknowledging that relocation under any circumstances is, at best, disruptive, Holness said, “In the best circumstances, persons are going to feel traumatised by relocation. No one wants to have their house uprooted, their furniture taken and destroyed. Nobody wants to have to move from where they have made their life. And I wish to use this platform to say to the people of Cooper's Pen that we understand this.” However, the prime minister emphasised that any land utilised in the relocation of residents of Cooper’s Pen will be paid for outright. “I repeat as I did when I visited the people of Cooper’s Pen in August, it will not be free. So nobody should have that in their minds that the land will be just given freely.” Instead, Holness said, the government will provide various modalities for residents to get fair and reasonable access, either through outright purchase, lease or other forms of contractual arrangement. Holness also reiterated that previously announced $9.9 million relocation grants for the affected residents are not compensatory, emphasising that the government would not use taxpayers' dollars to compensate anyone for an act that was unlawful. READ: Displaced Cooper’s Pen residents receive humanitarian grants “What we will do, however, which I think all Jamaicans would agree with, is that we should assist with the relocation exercise.” Noting that the government is moving forward with an emphasis on dialogue, Holness urged the Cooper’s Pen residents not to be swayed by misinformation but to be led by the respective government agencies.