December target for Coopers Pen relocation

During a visit yesterday to Coopers Pen in Trelawny, where 20 houses were flattened during a demolition exercise on August 11, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness said he is targeting December for the start of a relocation programme for some 99 eligible residents.

Describing the demolition, which occurred after a long-running legal dispute between private landowners and persons occupying the property, as a “humanitarian tragedy”, Holness said the Government could not stand by and allow the affected residents to suffer, even as it respected the rights of private landowners and the outcome of the court process.

“No one wants to lose their home under these circumstances,” said Holness, while outlining that temporary assistance had already been provided and that the Government would also assist affected families with back-to-school needs.