KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Housing Trust (NHT) is to undertake infrastructure upgrading at 49 housing schemes across the island at a cost of more than $2.5 billion.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement during his contribution to the 2019/20 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives today.

Holness said that work will start on 16 schemes in seven parishes, at a cost of approximately $813 million, before the end of the current fiscal year on March 31.

He noted that the upgrading project, which commenced in 2017 and targeted selected housing schemes, including those built by the Ministry of Housing prior to 1986, is focused on five priority areas.

These are disaster mitigation works, inclusive of river training, sewerage, water, roadways and curbs, among other infrastructure.

The agency will embark on an additional 33 projects at a cost of $1.7 billion, beginning in 2019/20.

The projects to start this fiscal year are Lower Works ($28 million) and Jerusalem ($23 million), St Elizabeth; Culloden ($60 million) and Bethel Town ($50 million), Westmoreland; Farm Heights ($40 million) and Pitfour ($60 million), St James; Seville Housing Scheme ($60 million), St Ann; Bariffe Hall ($46 million) and Gayle ($47 million), St Mary; Woodstock ($60 million) and Anchovy ($39 million), Portland; and Avalon Court Phase II, Grants Pen, Cooreville (Apartments), Duhaney Park (Hemingway and Sherlock Crescent), and Brook Valley Housing Scheme in Kingston and St Andrew, where $60 million each will be spent.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/NHT_to_upgrade_49_housing_schemes_Holness