Scores of residents in Manchester receive land titles

One hundred and twenty-four residents in Manchester received land titles from the National Land Agency (NLA) during a ceremony held at the Garden Hotel in Mandeville on May 27.

Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, said the distribution formed part of the Government’s wider effort to formalise land ownership and improve orderly development across Jamaica.

He explained that the NLA has a critical role in managing government lands and ensuring that the titling system operates efficiently while helping Jamaicans secure legal ownership of properties occupied by generations of families.

Holness noted that many Jamaicans have inherited and occupied lands for decades without formal registration, resulting in disputes and uncertainty over ownership. He explained that although individuals may have lived on lands undisturbed for many years, ownership is only legally recognised when the property is formally registered in the national land-titling system.

“Once your name appears in the book of title for a piece of land, you own it,” the Prime Minister said, while encouraging Jamaicans to regularise ownership of family lands and other untitled properties. He stressed that proper land registration provides legal protection and reduces conflicts over boundaries and inheritance.

The Prime Minister also expressed concern about the growing abuse of adverse possession laws, warning that some individuals are deliberately occupying and subdividing Government and private lands illegally for profit. He said this practice often leaves unsuspecting purchasers vulnerable and contributes to unplanned communities lacking roads, water, sewerage systems and other essential infrastructure.

Holness said the Government is moving towards more planned and orderly development, pointing out that informal settlements often create long-term social and economic challenges. 

He argued that land development must be properly coordinated with infrastructure, housing, healthcare, security services and employment opportunities in order to improve citizens’ quality of life.

He further outlined measures being undertaken by the Government to address housing and land-settlement challenges, including expanding formal housing solutions, improving the efficiency of land registration, increasing agricultural land access through agro-parks, and making lands available for housing development through the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) and the National Housing Trust (NHT).

The Prime Minister said the titles distributed under the Systematic Land Registration Programme would provide beneficiaries with stronger economic opportunities, including access to loans and the ability to pass assets on to future generations.

“Today is a good day for the 124 families. I hope that this will improve your prospects and you can use this to secure loans, pass down for generations to come, and some of you might even decide to sell. So, this is going to now give you an economic foundation,” Holness said.

- JIS News 

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