The new metropolis of Arnos Vale has once again taken center stage, with phase two of the concept drawings now being presented. In December 2021, Finance Minister Camilo Gonsalves stated that the government was well advanced with the master plan.
On Sunday, during the Issue at Hand programme on WEFM, Minister of Urban Development Benarva Browne provided an update on the progress of the new city development at Arnos Vale. The minister stated that the government has reached a stage where submissions for the second round of the design competition for the city have been received.
“These designs will be presented to a panel, as they have in the past, and the winner will be announced, and that company will then proceed to develop the plans for Arnos Vale formally.” So that is when you will see more consultants on the ground and more individuals approaching you about the city’s future.”
“So it’s been a process of selecting people, officials, and even private sector people to speak with.” These concept ideas would be refined, and then there would be more consultation and input into the creation of the plans and what would become the final plan for Arnos Vale.”
According to Browne, it is recommended that responses be submitted to the panel within a timeframe of about one year. However, it should be noted that consultations will take place prior to this deadline.
In December 2021, Finance Minister Camilo Gonsalves made a statement indicating that there was significant interest from investors in the Middle East regarding the provision of financial resources for various aspects of the modern city design.
On Sunday, December 12, Gonsalves said that the cabinet had received a briefing from a committee regarding three alternative proposals for the development of a modern city in Arnos Vale. “As a reminder, we have initiated a design competition in collaboration with renowned architectural companies from around the world. They presented ambitious proposals for the utilization of the entirety of the E.T. Joshua site”.
According to Gonsalves, certain designs retained the original runway, while others incorporated residential, commercial, and roadway structures over it.
“Some of them have envisioned the beachfront area as a boardwalk-type facility where people can walk from the dump, across the front of the beach, and up along the river until they get back to the main road where a gentleman is selling coconuts in front of Karibbean Tyres.”
“In some designs, the shoreline has been designated as a marina for yachts and leisure ships. Other designers have chosen to maintain the old control tower as a historical reminder, while others have removed it and replaced it with something more modern.”
“We have a very detailed overview, and I’m hoping to get permission from the committee to post the competing designs on the internet for the general public to see.” The architects provided a costing, but we would like an independent costing of all the various features. So we are pretty well along in terms of the master plan for the city of Arnos Vale,” Gonsalves remarked in December 2021.
The defunct E.T. Joshua airport’s 63 acres are located 10 minutes outside of Kingstown.
