Westown: the new city of the west
As construction work on the Westown site starts to get into full swing, planning intensifies to ensure the new city of the west reflects the value of the open space and ecological assets that define this region
A locally-driven initiative that connects people with spaces and experiences, Westown, is a mixed-use precinct of urban and green spaces perfectly positioned off the N3 between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
A new destination for living, working, shopping, business and recreational activities, Westown is planned within a managed, urban environment that supports a range of amenities and facilities including the retail offerings of Westown Square and Westown Lifestyle, The West Private Hospital, residential apartments, a warehousing and logistics precinct, commercial and business activities and uses and an active green belt.
Led by Fundamentum Property Group, which has significant experience in property development, property leasing and property management, the new city of the west is anticipated to unlock the region’s investment potential and generate some R15bn in new investment over the next 10 to 15 years, while increasing the value of home and property prices in the area.
“Our mixed-use development is guided by urban sustainability agenda — inclusive, environmentally sustainable, high-energy, safe and secure,” says Fundamentum CEO
Carlos Correia. “This includes harnessing the open spaces and ecological assets synonymous with the region such as horse riding, trail running, mountain biking, walking, birding and other outdoor pursuits.”
Westown’s focus is on innovation, creating a legacy of interdisciplinary planning, engineering, architecture and place-making. Starting with the long overdue upgrade of
Kassier Road, the commitment by the eThekweni Municipality to the funding of this infrastructure development has enabled
Westown to begin development.
This includes the road upgrade itself, the supporting bulk infrastructure (water, wastewater, electricity) and the development of Westown Square.
“We are grateful for the support and patience of our neighbours and stakeholders, including the Durban Shongweni Club and Polo Club, Enviroserv, Shongweni Farmer’s Market and Denny Mushroom Farm, as well as the local chief, indunas and councillors of wards 7 and 103, who are working with us to ensure Westown becomes a true asset for the area,” Correia says.
DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS
Westown is one of the largest infrastructural investments in
Durban since the Soccer World Cup in 2010. The Fundamentum Property Group, through its development arm Fundamentum Dev Co, has acquired the development rights for Westown from landowner Tongaat Hulett Property, who retains ownership of the land with Fundamentum owning the development rights with a rolling 99-year leasehold.
Development rights have been approved for about 517,000m² of bulk floor area across the retail offerings of Westown Square and Westown Lifestyle, The West Private Hospital, residential apartments, warehousing and logistics, commercial /business activities and uses and an active green belt.
These include:
± 1,600 Residential apartments/units ± 380,000m² Commercial, Business Park and Mixed-Use precinct with: 135,000m² Retail /
Commercial / Hospital
170,000m² Commercial / Business Park (Logistics and Warehousing) 1,200 - Residential units
Along with the Westown development rights, Fundamentum will be responsible for the planning and urban design, infrastructure delivery, management and operational aspects of Westown, through the construction of its own buildings as well as in partnerships with other developers interested in the rights for the 2,800 residential units about the shopping experience.
ROADS AND TRIGGER ACTIVITY
The first phase of the development is the 48,500m2 retail environment of
Westown Square. Construction began in September this year and is planned for completion at the end of 2024.
This development work runs in parallel to the much-needed upgrade of Kassier Road and the building of new road infrastructure, including two new bridges and a total makeover of the two-lane Kassier Road across the M13 and N3 into four lanes with a centre median. A new pedestrian bridge will also be added over the N3 along with a new access loop ramp and bridge over Kassier Road into Westown.
In 2025, phase two of the road upgrade will start with Kassier
Road being upgraded from
Alverstone Road to the R103.
R733m will be invested in the road and services infrastructure to enable the Westown development, R600m of which will be funded by the eThekweni Municipality.
As the development of Westown Square progresses and the road network takes shape, the next phases and other mixed-use features of Westown will come on stream. This includes the hospital, residential apartments and warehousing.
WESTOWN SQUARE
Primed to set the trend in retail shopping experiences, Westown Square is a world-class retail experience designed as a high street environment where indoor meets outdoor and the characteristics of the Shongweni green belt are reflected.
An aspirational offering of entertainment, recreation, lifestyle and leisure for all ages, the 48,500m2 Westown Square will reach the outer west community and beyond with its regional tenant mix. This includes an 8,500m2 new generation Checkers Hyper and a 2,750m2
Pick n Pay store together with a host of national fashion, health and beauty and national food brands.
Designed around the architectural landscaped Town Gardens and Town Square, which includes an amphitheatre and maze along with children’s play areas, Westown Square will be built on a human scale to be open, permeable, and accessible – a place to experience the environment around you.
THE WEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL
Forming the backbone of the Westown medical precinct is The West Private Hospital, a 100-bed private hospital located adjacent to Westown Square.
WESTOWN AS A SMART CITY
Westown is designed around a smart city framework. Not only does this include water, waste and energy but urban planning, precinct management and placemaking. Urbanist Erky
Wood from Urban Praxis refers to Westown’s development approach as “precinct planning with sustainable principles”. He believes that developing new cities “isn’t a product, but a process” that is layered and nuanced.
“Westown presents an opportunity to do things differently for the future. It’s not simply town planning and we need to be aware of this to get it right. This is a place that will develop organically, and our mixed-use agenda puts people first, responding to their needs whether they are visiting, living or working here.”
Westown will be self-managed through a place management structure (Management Association) that delivers optimised functionality not only in terms of safety, greening and maintenance but critically water, waste and energy demand too.
The intention is for recycling to occur on a micro/site level, atop measures aimed at reusing and reducing waste as much as possible. Plans are in place to work with local waste management company EnviroServ, on a waste-to-energy facility that can generate economic and employment opportunities, complemented by energy reduction measures and micro-solar solutions. Water saving and reduction is also part of the development along with rainwater harvesting and reuse where possible.
THE ACTIVE GREEN BELT
The Shongweni area is well known for its character and history, its lush green belt and the numerous sporting and outdoor activities it offers, including horse riding, trail running, mountain biking, walking, and birding.
Capitalising on these unique attributes, Westown, is a place that will develop organically, in response to the needs of the people that live and work there. It will connect people with spaces and experiences, bringing new opportunities to live, work and thrive, in the outer west, within a managed, urban environment that supports a range of amenities and facilities.
Guided by an urban sustainability agenda that is inclusive and innovative Westown focuses on creating a legacy of interdisciplinary planning, engineering, architecture and place-making that promotes an environmentally sustainable, safe and secure destination.
What will make Westown different to any other developments in the province, are is its location, ecological attributes and personality. The strong agricultural roots and country character of this place will be retained so that local communities continue to feel ownership of this new ‘city of the west’.
WETLAND AND PLANT REHABILITATION AT WESTOWN
The Westown site offers numerous wetlands making them important features within the landscape and an important element in the provision of ecosystem services directly related to water quantity and quality, as well as to the support of the unique biological diversity. Having been subjected to high levels of modification and destruction through sugar cane cultivation, agricultural road networks, alteration to water flow in the catchments, alien invasive vegetation, artificial drainage channels, overgrazing and residential and business infrastructure, saving the wetlands is a priority of the Westown development team.
The project potentially allows for the recouping of functional wetland and vegetation habitats that previously were nonexistent within the landscape primarily as a result of the region’s agricultural activities.
For more information log on to www.westown.co.za email: info@westown.co.za or call 031 566 1716
Development and Planning
Rory Wilkinson Rory.Wilkinson@westown.co.za call 031 566 1716
Retail Leasing
Lana Pattison lana@fundamentum.co.za call 083 511 4433
Construction
Paul Muir Paul@fundamentum.co.za call 031 566 1716
Place marketing / Communications
Cara Reilly Cara.Reilly@westown.co.za call 031 566 1716