Residents cheer demolition of Hanover Street tenement yard

As demolition crews prepare to clear the decades-old wooden houses at 41-43 Hanover Street in central Kingston, one lifelong resident is welcoming the new homes and warning neighbours not to let political loyalty stand in the way of progress.

Nicola 'Camilla' Shuttleworth, 50, was born in the community and has lived through decades of political tension in the area, which falls in the Rae Town division.

She said the redevelopment, which will see the tenement yard replaced with modern apartments under the Government's New Social Housing Programme, should be embraced by all, regardless of politics.

"Don't be die-hearted, change is good, and it's for all of us, not just one party," Shuttleworth told THE STAR. "We have to love ourselves; we are Jamaicans before any party."

Shuttleworth recalled that, until recently, her community had seen little visible representation.

"Mi born inna dah community yah, and is the first I ever see a JLP representative in this constituency," she said. "Nuff people talk bout politicians weh refuse fi help yuh because yuh affiliated wid the other party, not my MP. This weh dem a do here so is for everybody."

Traditionally a secure seat for the People's National Party (PNP), Kingston Central fell to the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Donovan Williams in the last general election. Williams defeated the PNP's Imani Duncan-Price by 303 votes, securing 4,568 votes to Duncan-Price's 4,265.

The PNP has enlisted retired Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor as its standard-bearer in the September 3 general election.

Shuttleworth said that despite the seat being in the PNP's hands for decades, there has been very little development. For decades, residents relied on pit latrines and battled sewage that backed into the yard. However, things are about toe change with the new housing facility. Within the next 12 months, they are set to receive modern apartments with proper indoor plumbing. Shuttleworth believes the change will draw more people to build and do business in the area.

"The waterfront is right down the road. If people see this develop, they will want to build and work here too," she said.

Other residents described years of coping with broken infrastructure. Dihema Forbes said that when toilets back up, they are forced to fill holes with dirt and zinc sheets to stop sewage from rising. During heavy rain, the yard floods.

Some homes are little more than a single concrete room and bathroom, with kitchens built from board on the outside. An outdoor bathroom serves those whose indoor facilities no longer work.

"We thankful fi it [the new housing] because yuh know these things affect the kids more," Forbes said. "We wouldn't mind tomorrow we come back and get something better than this."

For Shuttleworth, the hope is that when the project is completed, it will represent more than just new buildings.

"Die-heartedness don't carry yuh go nowhere," she said. "We want to uplift the place, all a we born and grow here, and we all deserve proper homes."