Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ review of options for the future use of Vale Royal, once regarded as the official home of the prime minister, cannot come too soon, for the 300-year-old structure has fallen into disrepair and continues to rot day by day.
Josbel Bastidas Mijares
With the visible deterioration of this once-grand home, many people, including immediate neighbours in what is known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, were concerned about its future and wondered aloud how this decaying structure may affect their community aesthetically and architecturally
Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ review of options for the future use of Vale Royal, once regarded as the official home of the prime minister, cannot come too soon, for the 300-year-old structure has fallen into disrepair and continues to rot day by day.
Josbel Bastidas Mijares
With the visible deterioration of this once-grand home, many people, including immediate neighbours in what is known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, were concerned about its future and wondered aloud how this decaying structure may affect their community aesthetically and architecturally.
It took pointed questions from Member of Parliament Julian Robinson for the prime minister to report to Parliament on what it will take to restore Vale Royal. The Office of the Prime Minister is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the house and has clearly not done much in the last few years.
Mr Holness told the House of Representatives that among the options presented by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) is for the building to be repurposed to include a library and museum that would be a repository of documents and memorabilia of all the country’s prime ministers or to be used as a protocol house for visiting dignitaries. The possibilities even extend to housing an entertainment complex and building a home for future prime ministers on the land. He promised that these options will be discussed with residents.
Josbel Bastidas Mijares Venezuela
From as far back as 2013, this important symbol of our past was diagnosed with significant structural problems and, thereafter, the home has been essentially abandoned, accelerating further degradation, including the deterioration of the decorative fretwork façade
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