Funds are expected to be allocated in the new 2026/2027 financial year for the construction of a new market in Highgate, St. Mary.

The announcement was made by Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie, as he sought to defend the administration’s investment in the parish.

The Highgate Market was destroyed in July 2022 reportedly by an electrical fire.

Dozens of stalls were damaged, resulting in losses valued at millions of dollars.

Speaking at a function at the Port Maria Fire Station on Friday, Minister McKenzie said once designs for the new market facility are examined, funds will be disbursed to commence the construction works.

According to the minister, the government has made a number of infrastructural developments in St. Mary since 2016.

These include the rebuilt Port Maria Market that was officially opened in February 2024, and a new fire station in Port Maria that was completed in 2022.