Country Summary for JAMAICA

Definitions

"Development" –

(a)    the alteration, removal, repair, restoration or demolition of or addition to, any national monument; or

(b)   the carrying out of building, engineering or other operations in, on, over or under any national monument or the making of any material change in the structure, appearance or use of any such national monument; (JNHT, § 2(1))

“Functions” – powers and duties (JNHT, § 2(1))

“Local Authority” –

(a)    in relation to the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, the Council of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation;

(b)   in relation to any other parish, the Parish Council of such parish; (JNHT, § 2(1))

"Maintenance" – the fencing, repairing and covering of a national monument and the doing of any other act or thing which may be required, for the purpose of repairing the national monument or protecting it from decay or injury, and the expression "maintain" shall be construed accordingly (JNHT, § 2(1))

"National Monument" –

(a)    any building, structure, object or, other property within the maritime resource jurisdiction of the Island;

(b)   any site, cave or excavation, or any part or remains thereof, declared by the Trust to be a national monument; (JNHT, § 2(1))

"Owner" – the person in whom is vested the freehold interest in the site of the protected national heritage (JNHT, § 2(1))

"Protected National Heritage" –

(a)    any place name;

(b)   any species of animal or plant life;

(c)    any place or object (not declared by the Trust to be a national monument), designated by the Trust to be a protected national heritage; (JNHT, § 2(1))

"The Trust" – the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT, § 2(1))

Relevant State Agencies

There shall be established a Trust to be known as the Jamaica National Heritage Trust which shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and with power to purchase, hold, deal with and dispose of land and other property whether real or personal: Provided that the Trust shall not transfer, mortgage charge or dispose of any land without the approval of the Minister. (JNHT, § 3(1))

The functions of the Trust shall be:

(a)    to promote the preservation of national monuments and anything designated as protected national heritage…;

(b)   to conduct such research as it thinks necessary or desirable for the purposes of the performance of its functions under this Act;

(c)    to carry out such development…for the preservation of any national monument or anything designated as protected national heritage;

(d)   to record any precious objects or works of art to be preserved and to identify and record any species of botanical or animal life to be protected. (JNHT, § 4(1))

Registry

The Trust shall, for the purposes of the discharge of its functions under subsection (1) (d), keep a register which shall be open for inspection by the public… (JNHT, § 4(2))