Development Area Profiles Alligator Pond DA 9-1

1 DEVELOPMENT AREA DESCRIPTION 1.2 Development Area Boundaries 1.1 Location and General Character 1.2.1 Development Area Definition. See Chapter 2 for DA criteria. Mobility patterns show a strong orientation to St. Elizabeth (Junction The Alligator Pond Development Area lies in the valley formed by the and Santa Cruz) as well as to Alligator Pond itself and Mandeville. Spur Tree Fault below the ridge of the Carpenter’s Mountains and extends north from the Caribbean Sea to Gutters (Figures DA9-1 and 1.2.2 Communities and Districts Included. As presently identified DA9-2). It covers an area of 4,351 ha (16.2 square miles). by the SDC and the MPDC, the Alligator Pond Development Area includes five communities and 16 districts: Alligator Pond: Alligator Pond (Proper), Tezam, Top Bay, Bottom Bay,* Compound* (*residents claim these are one district); New Forest: New Forest (Proper), Comma Pen, Duff House, Logwood (Rose Corner), Sea Air; Downs: Downs (Proper), Blake’s Pen, Emporium, Farm, Watson’s Hill; Butt Up: Butt Up (Proper), Baalbeck, Precious Plain, Turner Top; Prospect: Prospect (Proper), Montpelier; 1.2.3 Relation to Other/Former Area Definitions 1.2.3.1 Relation to Enumeration Districts (EDs). Figure DA9-2 shows the approximate boundaries of the DA, following 1991 EDs. 1.2.3.2 Relation to Parish Council Divisions. The Alligator Pond DA boundaries are similar to the Alligator Pond, although they include a small part of Newport DA. 1.2.3.3 Relation to the TPD DO Growth Center. The proposed Fi gure DA9-1 Alligator Pond and the Canoe Valley Coast from the air boundaries are defined by Duff House and Rowes Corner in the north, The area is sustained principally by fishing in the south and by farming Plowden Hill and Port Mahon in the east, the Caribbean Sea to the in the central and northern parts. Both fishing and farming face south and the parish boundary of St. Elizabeth to the west. problems and the level of unemployment is high, as it is throughout 1.2.3.4 Relation to Protected Areas. The area around Alligator Pond South Manchester and the rest of the parish. The retail is designated as a Conservation Area on the existing Development trade/commercial sector is increasing in importance and is Orders of both St. Elizabeth and Manchester. It also provides a concentrated on the main road to the town of Alligator Pond. Tourism natural anchor for and gateway to the proposed Canoe Valley National on the south coast has begun to have a significant impact on this coast Park (Figure DA9-1). in terms of increased land prices, employment shifts and environmental degradation. 1.2.4 Potential Changes in DA Boundaries. Not yet determined. DA9-2 Parish of Manchester Sustainable Development Profile

2 SOCIAL CONDITIONS 2.1 Demographics 2.1.1 Population Size and Change. The Alligator Pond Special Area and proposed Growth Center (the area around the town of Alligator Pond shown in Figure DA9-3) accounted for 0.97% of the parish population in 1991 and 1.01% in 2001. This represented an annual average growth rate of 2.18% between 1991 and 2001 (Tables DA9.1 and DA9.2). The rate was faster than that for the parish as a whole and matched the rate for the Mandeville DA. It also represented a substantial increase over the 1982-1991 inter-censal period. The 0.5% annual average rate for that decade was very slow compared to most other growth centers in the parish. Table DA9.1 Population Growth Alligator Pond SA, 1982-2001 Year Population Intercensal Average Annual Change Growth Rate 1982 1,486 1991 1,5581 4.85% 0.53% 2001 1,878 20.54% 2.05% Source: STATIN 1982,1991, 2001 The DA as a whole had an estimated population in 2001 of 8,354 (Table DA9.3). The growth trends in the DA cannot be fully assessed until it becomes possible to map the 2001 Census data. 2.1.2 Population Distribution and Density. There are nucleated developments in the town center of Alligator Pond (Figure DA9-4) and other areas near the coastline, where the population density is highest. The density