NEPA outlines Cabinet’s ‘New Negril’ Agenda
SENIOR PHYSICAL Planner at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) Isau Bailey was at pains to convince Negril stakeholders that the name ‘New Negril’ was not cast in stone during a meeting at the Negril Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday.
Bailey, who came under heavy criticism, said that the name was only being brought up because of stipulations in the Cabinet document for the New Negril Master Plan.
Addressing stakeholders in the resort town, Bailey admitted that ‘the name’ had always come up as an issue, and so his team would be making notes and seeking to make representation to the requisite ministry regarding the issues so that they could be rectified, but noted that the name would continue to cause some amount of controversy.
“The Cabinet has mandated the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and NEPA to make the creation of a new development area called ‘New Negril’, a priority with unlimited building heights, and authorised the preparation of a master plan for the area,” Bailey said.
“The name New Negril is what we are using because that was what was in the Cabinet submission. I don’t think it is the intention that the place will be called ‘New Negril”. I am not sure, but it is something that we are hoping to have consultations with stakeholders on and with the Cabinet in this regard. But I know the name has been causing a tiff, but I think it has served its purpose in terms of grabbing everybody’s attention and bringing persons to the fore,” Bailey said.
The planner said that the project would be undertaken by NEPA in collaboration with the Negril Green Island Planning Authority as well as the Hanover and Westmoreland Municipal Corporations.
UNLIMITED HEIGHTS
According to Bailey, the New Negril boundary will begin at the Hanover-Westmoreland border and extend eastwards to the community of Esher in Hanover. Itwill allow for the establishment of high-rise hotels of unlimited heights within that space.
Bailey told the meeting that the master plan is a conceptual layout that will guide future growth within the area, which has a population of just under 11,000. It is to feature, among other things, land use and sector plans, solid-waste management, a city-management plan, a feasibility plan, an updated area profile analysis, a long-term physical-development plan; social cultural development plans, as well as economic and financial development plans in accordance with Cabinet directives.
He said hat the Cabinet had opted to pursue this area of Hanover as there were fewer constraints, more greenfield sites, and more land that would accommodate high-rise buildings, similar to resort models in countries north of Jamaica.
“When the Cabinet mandated us to prepare a master plan, I know they would have been looking at some resort models. A couple that comes to mind was Miami, South Beach, and Nassau, Bahamas. So we are looking at those resort models and trying to position the country in attracting those tourists that would otherwise have been going to those destinations, and I think they, in their thinking, were probably thinking that Negril would be the best place to do such a venture,” he explained.
“They were looking at some of the constraints that were existing in Negril. A portion of the Old Negril is covered by the Great Morass and it backs on to the hills by west end. They were thinking that this area is too constrained by these natural features to have any significant development in terms of what they are proposing to do to tap into the tourist markets persons who would be going to destinations such as Nassau, Bahamas, South Beach etc,” he said.