Pickersgill seeks to quell concerns about Goat Island

Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, is seeking to quell lingering concerns about the possible use of Goat Island as a transhipment port. In a statement Tuesday night, the Minister said he had taken note of the issues raised by environmentalists and other stakeholders. Mr. Pickersgill, while stating that it's critical that the environment is protected, said the concerns will be taken into account during the public consultation process.

“Regardless of who is the proponent - whether the government of Jamaica or a private investor that desires to carry out development, there is a universally established standard process necessitating objective analyses (and) assessment which involves reviews by a number of government of Jamaica regulatory agencies and the relevant Parish Council. Above all there must be public stakeholder consultation,” argued Mr. Pickersgill.

K.D. Knight, chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) on Monday stated that there are several stages before a decision can be made on the development of a transhipment port at Goat Island.