Kingston, Jamaica, 4 September 2026
Work on transforming National Heroes Park into a modern public space with a purpose-built Parliament beside it is edging closer, with the Government saying community consultations on the project are almost finished and ground-breaking will follow.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness gave the update during a walk-through of the 51-acre site with Urban Development Corporation (UDC) officials on Wednesday, 19 August. Once the talks with residents wrap up, he said, the project would move into construction, beginning with laying the underlying infrastructure.
What is planned
The historic park is to be redesigned and combined with Jamaica’s first Parliament building constructed for that purpose. Heroes Circle, which rings the park, is earmarked as the home of a new UDC headquarters. The plans also cover upgrades to the surrounding roads and other infrastructure, including works connected to the Missionaries of the Poor Holy Innocents Convent nearby.
The scheme sits within a wider regeneration strategy for Kingston Central. According to UDC General Manager L. Robert Honeyghan, streets and businesses stretching from the park towards downtown will be folded into the plans, and he acknowledged that upkeep of the park had declined considerably over the years.
A project with a long history
Earlier efforts to upgrade the area and to locate Parliament at Heroes Park either stalled or never got off the ground. Mr Holness said close to five years of detailed planning had now gone into the current version, and that he had directed the UDC to see it through, pointing to the agency’s record on the Kingston waterfront. He described blight, litter and congestion as a face Jamaica “cannot continue” to show.
He also asked for patience, calling it a massive undertaking that is expected to spur development across the Corporate Area.
What it means for residents and property owners
For people who live, rent or own property in and around Kingston Central, a large public investment of this kind can reshape an area over time, through better roads, pavements and green space, and renewed interest from businesses. Residents who have not yet taken part in the consultations may still wish to make their views known to the UDC before the process closes, as construction plans and traffic arrangements are settled at this stage. Landlords and prospective buyers will want to watch how quickly work actually starts once the consultation phase ends.
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