New housing project for Rusape

AN upmarket housing project got a shot in the arm when local authorities in Rusape unanimously approved the conversion of a 90-hectare plot into a residential area.

Road works and installation of water pipes have already commenced.

Alloa Brooke will comprise of 431 stands with provision for a school, two crèches, two service stations, a food court, a shopping mall and an industrial site.

The property is part of the estate of the late Mr Job Kadengu.

Project director, Miss Rosa Kadengu said they had the necessary supporting documents from Government to carry out proposed developments.

The development presents a rare housing opportunity for home seekers as Rusape has little space for urban expansion.

Miss Kadengu said Rusape Town Council and Makoni Rural District Council — which have been haggling over endowments and other proceeds from the development — had finally agreed on the way forward.

It took the intervention of the acting Manicaland provincial development coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza, for the local authorities to find each other.

The land in question falls within the two local authorities’ boundary, across Rusape River and along the Mutare-Harare Highway.

Makoni RDC, under whose jurisdiction the land falls, will get the project’s endowments while Rusape Town Council will accrue revenue from the provision of water, sewer and refuse collection.

It is Government’s position that urban and rural councils must work together in the development of urban settlements on land surrounding established towns. Government has also warned against continued expansion of urban settlements into agricultural land, insisting that developers should prioritise multi-storey properties.

Miss Kadengu revealed they were turning part of the farm into a residential area in order to raise estate fees to allow the winding up of their late father’s estate.

“The idea to venture into the housing project was because we needed to raise money to pay estate duties and also invest whatever is left from the proceeds into farming on the remaining extension of the farm,” explained Miss Kadengu.

She said of the 431 stands, 390 are residential while the rest are commercial.

“The stands range between 900 and 1800 square metres in size. We are looking at an up-market suburb. We are trying to introduce something different in Rusape,” said Miss Kadengu.