Stephanie Coleman, Gleaner Writer
The site of the future housing development of Hellshire Glades, St. Catherine, located between Hellshire Park Phase II and the Hellshire Hills. A contract signing between the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and West Indies Home Contractors Ltd. (WIHCON) took place on December 20, 2005, and involves the construction of 165 single family units, costing approximately $480 million. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
THE URBAN Development Corporation's (UDC) latest housing development project in Hellshire Park, St. Catherine, has caused serious concerns among environmentalists who doubt the UDC's ability to enforce environmental protocols.
According to a release issued recently, the UDC signed a J$480-million contract with West Indies Home Contractors Limited last month to construct Hellshire Glades housing development in Hellshire Park.
Hellshire Glades will consist of 165 single-family dwellings on 9.4 hectares of land and will be constructed in three phases over a one-year period. Construction is slated to begin this month.
Hellshire Hills, a designated UDC area since 1968, falls within the Portland Bight Protected Area, which is under the management of the Lionel Town-based Caribbean Coastal Area Management (C-CAM) Foundation. The guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment, drafted by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), stipulate that non-governmental organisations concerned with the areas in question should be formally contacted and informed of the intended project.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
The release said the UDC, in association with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), recently created a Hellshire Environmental Management Plan that will guide the development in the protected area. According to a statement from the UDC, "The plan has been developed over a three-year period, and was recently approved by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) for implementation."
The UDC said the Hellshire Environmental Management Plan "would aim to protect wildlife species, eco-systems and include ongoing research to inform development and sustainable use of the natural resources of Hellshire Hills."
However, Peter Espeut, executive director of C-CAM, said last week that he was not aware of the plan.
"I wasn't consulted in this case; this makes me concerned," Mr. Espeut said. "NEPA is obliged to consult with me. We have a contract, they have chosen not to honour that contract."
Mr. Espeut said he was unaware of the plan, and queried its authenticity. He noted that, "Even if it [the plan] has environment in it, it doesn't have to be environmentally oriented."
Diana McCaulay, chief executive officer of Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), claimed the UDC's management of environmental matters "leaves much to be desired" as the agency does not pay enough attention to environmental resources during construction or project maintenance.
"It's a conflict of interest. Who is going to make sure they do the right thing?" McCaulay said. "Enforcement is a problem. Even if the permit is there, it is not enforced, especially if the UDC is responsible for enforcement."
