For nearly a decade, Vincentians have heard a familiar refrain return with every election cycle and major national speech:
“A modern city will rise at Arnos Vale.”
The declaration surfaced shortly after the closure of the E.T. Joshua Airport. It reappeared in the 2018 Budget presentation. It resurfaced during the 2020 general election campaign. It echoed again during celebrations of the Argyle International Airport, and it has been repeated in several Budget Addresses since then.
Now, in 2025, the proposed city is back once more — this time placed prominently in the Unity Labour Party’s manifesto as part of its long-term development vision.
Yet despite the repetition, the promised city remains largely conceptual. For many Vincentians, Arnos Vale has become both the country’s boldest future image and one of its most persistent political puzzles.
A Promise With a Long Memory
A review of public statements, policy documents, and budget speeches shows a clear timeline of when the Arnos Vale city concept emerged and how it evolved.
2017–2018: Seed of an Idea
After the airport’s closure, government officials began talking about “protecting the land” from being carved into small private developments. Early descriptions referred to a “planned modern city” that would be unlike anything previously attempted in SVG.
2019–2020: Formalisation
The concept found its way into the national Budget. Speeches highlighted the vision of a “world-class urban space,” and ULP campaign platforms assured supporters that the city was “coming soon.”
2020 Manifesto: First Official Commitment
The party committed, in writing, to building
“a modern city at Arnos Vale — the most advanced in the Eastern Caribbean.”
2021–2023: Repetition and Refinement
Following the election, the language remained consistent. The idea reappeared in town halls, media interviews, and parliamentary debates. Plans were shared showing architectural renderings from international firms.
2024: A City With “Anchor Projects”
Government began highlighting the planned Acute Care Hospital and the refurbished Arnos Vale Stadium as bookend anchors that would eventually frame the city.
2025 Manifesto: Promise Renewed Again
The ULP once more commits to beginning construction “in the next term,” making Arnos Vale one of the most repeated development promises in modern Vincentian politics.
A Vision of Scale — Still Theoretical on the Ground
According to the government, the Arnos Vale project is intended to be transformative. Plans include:
- A green, walkable central park where the runway once lay
- Modern commercial corridors
- High-rise residential and business towers
- Entertainment and cultural districts
- Waterfront attractions
- Climate-resilient infrastructure
- A hospital at one end and a major sports complex at the other
If realised, it would shift economic activity eastward, ease congestion in Kingstown, and remake the nation’s urban landscape.
But outside of the stadium upgrade and hospital construction — projects that can also exist independently of a new city — the broader development has not yet begun. The land remains largely untouched.
This gap between rhetoric and reality continues to shape the public conversation.
Why the Delays? Two Narratives, One Question
Government officials have pointed to real and significant challenges:
- The COVID-19 pandemic
- The 2021 eruption of La Soufrière
- Hurricanes Elsa and Beryl
- Emergency housing demands
- The scale of other capital projects, including the new port
Each crisis diverted resources and attention.
Critics, however, say the delays raise questions about whether the city was ever a near-term priority, or whether it functions more effectively as a recurring political message than an actionable plan.
Supporters counter that large-scale urban projects typically span decades and require careful staging to avoid disorganised growth or private-sector land speculation.
Yet both sides acknowledge the same truth: Arnos Vale remains one of the most valuable undeveloped expanses near the capital, and the stakes of its future are high.
2025: A Turning Point or Another Repetition?
In its new manifesto, the ULP positions the Arnos Vale city as essential to its goal of transforming Saint Vincent and the Grenadines into a “First World nation by 2040.”
For the first time, the city is framed not simply as a development idea but as a central component of national identity and future resilience.
But this framing also raises expectations.
If construction finally begins, the project could become a defining achievement — a signal of long-term planning and national ambition.
If not, Arnos Vale risks becoming a symbol of overpromising, especially as the commitment enters its eighth year.
For Now, the Vision Endures
Arnos Vale remains the largest and most detailed development proposal in the country, yet also its most elusive. Vincentians have watched the promise move from speech to speech, from manifesto to manifesto, while the site itself remains quiet.
The vision lives on.
The plans remain polished.
The political language continues with confidence.
All that is missing is the city.
And until the first foundations are laid, one question will follow every election:
Is Arnos Vale the next great Vincentian city — or simply the next familiar promise?
