CENTRAL VILLAGE
Community Profile
| Community Area | 0.37 km2(37 ha) |
| Community Population | 5,816 ( 2001 census ) |
| Residential density | 157 persons per ha |
| Community Liaison Officer(s) | Shelly-Ann Morrison & Peta-Ann Morris |
| Constituency | South Central St Catherine |
Community Liaison Officer
|
|
|
|
|
Shelly-Ann Morrison Little Lane and Andrews Lane |
Peta Ann Morris Big Lane and Detroit |
Central Village consists of four communities, namely:
- Big Lane (which includes Detroit)
- Little Lane
- Andrews Lane
These communities are contiguous. Each community is examined separately with respect to the social and safety interventions it requires.
Big Lane and Detroit
The communities are situated north of Mandella Highway and south of the rio Cobre River. The Twickenham Park Housing scheme lies to the west, while Little lane lies to the east.
The housing typology in Big Lane and Detroit is mixed with 60% of the houses made of board and 40% made of zinc. The prevalence on the zinc fences in these communities is attributed to the level of privacy that these provide. Notwithstanding this, there is a sense of community pride as residents have succeeded in planting flowers and painting zinc fences to beautify the community.
Little Lane
Little Lane borders Mandela Highway with Andrews Lane to the coast, Big Lane to the West and the Rio Cobre River to the south. The houses are situated on individual plots and are made with a combination of wood, concrete and zinc. The Little Lane community is virtually crime free. Notwithstanding this, prejudices and stigma attached to living in an inner city community pervades. This stigma has prevented youth from acquiring employment outside of the community. The community is contiguous to the commercial district along Mandela Highway. It does not benefit from this strategic location, due to the stigma that is attached to living in this community.
Andrews Lane
Andrews Lane is located south of the Mandela Higway and is strategically located at the entrance to Central Village. Individual houses show a wide variation in expenditure on improvement, since they were built in the 1970s. Notwithstanding this, zinc fences are still used to provide some measure of privacy and protection.
The road network consists of dust patches and the drainage facility is desperately in need of repair. High rates of illiteracy and unemployment are compounded by area stigma. Notwithstanding this, there is a high level of comraderie among community members. This is demonstrated in activities such as community clean up, community dances, fun days. This comraderie has been responsible for low levels of crime in Andrews Lane.
There is presently no commercial facility in Central Village that could facilitate greater community integration among residents. Churches, schools and the Red Cross presently form the basis of social interaction and intervention in Central Village, the ICBSP will be constructing a multipurpose building on a proposed site owned by the Red Cross Society.
