The Urban Development Corporation has opened an office in Falmouth, Trelawny to support its developmental mandate in that town and its environs.
The office which is located at 4 Rodney Street is headed by Senior Portfolio Manager, Howard Barrett and supported by Community Integration Manager, Yvonne Brown and a team of urban planners and support staff. The office will also ultimately serve as an information hub for residents and visitors alike.
Lenworth Tracey, Deputy General Manager, Economic Development and Corporate Relations, UDC, expressed satisfaction with the timing of the new office facility and its charge to aid in the development and implementation of the development plans for the Greater Falmouth region. He noted that having a permanent office in Trelawny will further strengthen the interaction with key stakeholders in the community, which he has credited with the build-out of the development plans to-date.
In March 2010, Prime Minister the Hon Orette Golding mandated the UDC in collaboration with the Trelawny Parish Council and other partner government agencies to lead efforts aimed at upgrading the Historic Town of Falmouth ahead of the arrival of cruise ship passengers in November 2010 and implementing the Greater Falmouth Redevelopment 2010-30 Plan.
These November arrivals will serve as a forerunner to the visit of the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas due to arrive in early 2011 at the new Falmouth pier being constructed by the Port Authority of Jamaica and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Ltd.
In order to prepare the town for the arrival of the visitors, the Historic Falmouth Town Centre Upgrading Programme will result in limited landscaping, beautification, tourism training and community sensitisation activities which will be undertaken in partnership with the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).
In conjunction with the Trelawny Parish Council and the National Works Agency, the UDC is working in the community to fashion a new traffic management plan for the town with a trial run slated for later this month.
The new traffic management plan will complement the proposed pedestrianisation of Water Square. Benefits to be derived from restricting vehicular access to the square include; increased business opportunities, promotion of a unique shopping experience, a cleaner town centre, developed public recreational space and an area more conducive to social and commercial exchange.
Persons wishing to interface with the UDC in Falmouth may call the office through these telephone numbers 617-0712 or 954-5605.