The town of Falmouth on Jamaica’s north coast was founded in the late 1770s and was one of the busiest ports in the region during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Laid out in a grid pattern with graceful public buildings, lively markets and green spaces, Falmouth had piped water before New York City. Located in the parish of Trelawny, where almost 90 plantations grew, manufactured and exported sugar and its by products, Falmouth’s wealth and status was based on the exploitation of enslaved Africans. The buildings were fine examples of Georgian architecture – unparalleled in the rest of the Caribbean - and some still exist today.

Following emancipation, Falmouth’s fortunes declined. Many former slaves left the town and settled in free villages nearby; others built small wooden dwellings, known for their gingerbread fretwork and jalousie windows.

There have been attempts to restore and protect Falmouth’s architecture over the years, with mixed results. The town is located close to the Luminous Lagoon, an outstanding example of persistent phosphorescence, the tombolo at Bush Cay, extensive wetlands and coral reefs. Falmouth is also home to a vibrant fishing community – located at the Falmouth fishing beach, in continuous occupation for over 100 years.

In 2006, JET became aware of a joint venture between the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to build a cruise ship pier in Falmouth, to take the Genesis class of ships – the largest in the world. Initially, the Jamaican public was told that this would be done with private sector funding, but it has now become clear that the cruise ship pier will be constructed with loans, increasing Jamaica’s already unsustainable stock of debt. JET contends this scope and type of this project is unsuitable for a historic town, we are concerned about the displacement of the fishers, the potential damage of the dredging to create a ship channel through the reef, the removal of part of the coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangroves, and the impact on the luminous lagoon. We are not convinced that the people of Falmouth will benefit sufficiently from this development, as these large ships expressly advertise that the ship itself is the destination. We are particularly concerned about the ability of the various regulatory authorities to control and monitor the construction of the Falmouth cruise ship pier.

With our colleagues at Windsor Research Centre in Trelawny, we maintain a watching brief on this development.