A Church, a Furniture Shop and a Bar on $132 Million of State Land: Papine’s Demolition Is Called Off

• Occupants of a state-owned lot in Papine got a reprieve from demolition
• The Papine New Testament Church of God is among those on the land
• The property is owned by the National Water Commission
• The MP said there had not been enough consultation

A congregation and a cluster of small businesses occupying a large state-owned lot at 35 Gordon Town Road in St Andrew were spared the bulldozer in October 2023, after their Member of Parliament suspended a scheduled demolition, the Sunday Gleaner reported.

The 40,000-square-metre property, valued at $132 million, is owned by the National Water Commission. Among its occupants are the Papine New Testament Church of God, a furniture shop that has operated for more than 20 years, a restaurant, a bar, a bag juice operation and a garage. The occupants had received an eviction notice dated May 5 from the National Land Agency, which they disputed on the grounds that it lacked official stamps or an authorised signature.

MP Fayval Williams explained that the land is earmarked for the expansion of the overcrowded Papine High School and possibly other infrastructure. But she said the removal would not go ahead for now. “The demolition is not going to happen,” she said, adding: “My investigation suggests that there was not enough consultation with persons.” A week was set aside for talks with the occupants.

For the church, the uncertainty has been hard to bear. Pastor Ajilon Ferdinand told the Gleaner: “There has been no sense of certainty, pure uneasiness, and nobody is telling us anything.” Others on the land included carpenter Paul Higgins, who has operated there for 29 years.

The Papine case captures a situation many Jamaican congregations know well. Churches often start on land that was available rather than land that was bought, sometimes on Crown or agency property, and grow there for years. Occupation, however long, does not make a congregation the owner, and when the state needs the land for a school, road or other public purpose, the church can be asked to move.

For church boards, returnees and diaspora donors helping to fund church buildings in Jamaica, the lesson is to check the title before pouring concrete. Knowing who owns the ground, and whether a lease or formal permission exists, can be the difference between a secure place of worship and a notice to quit.

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