Ernest McFarlane, a mid-island developer, plans to carve 121 housing lots from a 90-acre property that lies between Old Harbour and May Pen, but still has to hurdle environment and planning agencies.

The Lancewood Valley property up to now has been designated agriculture land, on which cattle has grazed for 50 years.

The subdivision into lot sizes ranging from 1,039 square metres to 11,190 square metres is expected to last a year.

The lots are to be further developed with houses of three to four bedrooms.

McFarlane has finalised an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the property, done for him by ENVIROCONJA, but his plans are contingent on getting the green light from the National Environment and Planning Agency.

"The portion of Lancewood Valley earmarked for development is currently an undeveloped, mostly flat parcel of land with few areas (having) gently sloping gradients," said the EIA report.

McFarlane opted for the change of use from agriculture to housing because of the high incidence of praedial larceny.

Housing alternatives

The land is bordered by Highway 2000 to the east and a small settlement and other houses to the north-west. The population of the area is estimated at just over 6,000 and is projected to grow to at least 11,500 by 2012.

According to the developer, the land is being developed "to provide much-needed housing alternatives to the Clarendon region, which in recent years has been expanding".

Clarendon's population is estimated at 237,024, which is 12 per cent higher than it was 10 years ago. The growth rate over the period is more than the national average which is estimated at 9.53 per cent. With the parish's proximity to Kingston and the construction of Highway 2000 which has greatly reduced travel time between the two points, it has become an attractiv for property seekers who work in the capital city.

The area of the proposed development is already serviced by the main utilities - electricity, water and telephone - and benefits from garbage-collection services by the National Solid Waste Management Authority. Water for the proposed development area is to be sourced from a well located at the nearby upscale development, Twin Palms Estate.

The developer anticipates that the water demand will be in the region of 166,980 litres to 222,640 litres daily.

The developer said the area is not affected by flooding, even though a gully is located within the specified location and is bordered by another one to the east of the site based on a flood analysis.

john.myers@gleanerjm.com