Prime Minister Announces Climate-Resilient Redevelopment for Black River

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has outlined climate resilient plans to redevelop Black River in St. Elizabeth, which was devastated by Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

Delivering his 2026/27 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 19), Dr. Holness highlighted the historical significance of the coastal town and the extensive damage it sustained from storm surge caused by the Category Five cyclone.

He noted that critical infrastructure, such as the town’s hospital, courthouse, market, and civic buildings, was either destroyed or severely compromised, underscoring the need for complete redevelopment of the area using climate resilient strategies.

“We will not rebuild Black River as it was. We will rebuild it as it should be, and in so doing, create something this town has never possessed in the 300 years of its history – a real, planned, consolidated urban core,” the Prime Minister announced.

He noted that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), in collaboration with other development partners, is advancing a climate smart plan that will separate infrastructure best located inland from those that belong on the coast.

The plan will be anchored around a new urban centre to be built inland, above storm surge levels and projected sea level rise.

“This is where Black River’s essential public functions – its hospital, courthouses, municipal offices, police station, tax office, schools, market and transport hub – will be consolidated into a planned, walkable, flood-safe precinct for the first time,” Dr. Holness said.

He emphasised that a “proper town square” and a civic park will be included, while buildings will be designed to withstand Category-Five winds and constructed above projected sea level rise.

Utility corridors, drainage systems, and emergency redundancies will also be incorporated into the redesign.

The Prime Minister also outlined plans to protect Black River’s waterfront and create a space designed for entertainment and the expansion of Jamaica’s tourism offerings.

He noted that a multi layer coastal defence system will be constructed, including submerged offshore breakwaters to dissipate waves before they reach shore, a concrete seawall integrated with a continuous public boardwalk, and engineered revetments along the most vulnerable stretches of coastline.

“The waterfront will become what it always had the potential to be – a vibrant public amenity, an entertainment and tourism corridor, a place where boutique hotels and restaurants and cultural experiences make this stretch of Jamaica’s south coast a genuine destination,” Dr. Holness said.

He maintained that the redesign will also integrate housing developments, agricultural corridors, tourism infrastructure, and the regional road network along the south coast.

Dr. Holness emphasised that the plans for Black River’s redevelopment reflect a deliberate shift from isolated project initiatives to integrated growth.

He noted that by ensuring all essential infrastructure is incorporated from the initial planning stages, the result will be a self sustaining regional ecosystem designed for long term resilience.