Ground Broken for $4.2Bn Boundbrook Urban Centre in Portland

  • Ground has been broken for the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio, Portland, which is set to provide a major economic boost for the coastal town. The facility will sit on 6.68 acres of land at a total development cost of $4.2Bn and is expected to generate thousands of jobs for parish residents.
  • It is being spearheaded by the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) with equity partners National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Barita and financed by CIBC.
  • Similar to the Morant Bay Urban Centre, which is still under construction, the Boundbrook facility will serve as a centre for commerce and entertainment. It will accommodate government offices, educational institutions, financial services and private-sector businesses including fast food and fine dining restaurants, gaming venues, medical centres, business process outsourcing firms, legal practices, beauty salons, and more.
  • Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who delivered the main address at the ground-breaking on Wednesday (August 14), noted that the project will offer a myriad of benefits to the people and visitors of Portland, thus transforming the parish. He pointed to similar projects in the pipeline for development in Falmouth, Negril, Old Harbour, and Hopewell.
  • For his part, FCJ Chairman, Lyttleton Shirley, revealed that take-up for the project now stands at 110%, expressing confidence that it will be a “one-stop shop offering the services of the government and private sector in one location, while adhering to all concerns of our residents.”
  • Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport and Member of Parliament for Portland Western, Hon. Daryl Vaz, welcomed the 3,000 jobs projected to be generated from the project. Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern, Ann-Marie Vaz, called on the young people of the parish to ready themselves for the employment opportunities that will come by upskilling and getting certified.
  • “Now is the time to upskill [and] the time to get certified, as this development is already providing jobs and will bring hundreds more during construction and afterwards, with new and expanded businesses that will be operating here,” Mrs. Vaz said.

(Source: JIS)