Students for neighbours? No thank you, says seaside village
● Wealthy “villagers” in an exclusive KwaZulu-Natal seaside hamlet are rallying to block the establishment of a private university — fearing that students will overrun their town and send property prices plummeting.
As the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast becomes one of the most sought-after property hubs in South Africa, Tongaat Hulett Developments has moved to transform the surrounding sugar-cane fields into a multibillion-rand mixed-use project.
Among the plans — and central to the ire of residents — is a proposed university campus, understood to be a project of private education giant AdvTech. The university would border the posh houses along Umdloti’s Bellamont Road.
The proposed university comes at a time when tertiary institutions face increasing demand for places.
Brian Gibson of the Umdloti Beach Ratepayers and Residents Association is at the forefront of an effort to mount “robust” objection. The association has launched an online campaign, calling on residents to register as interested parties in the development — saying that it is “up to us to protect our village”.
He said: “This project will have 10 000 students, 3 000 who will live in student accommodation, and the balance to be accommodated in the Durban North or Umhlanga area. The local community — a few thousand residents — are really anxious about being completely overwhelmed by these students.”
The influx of the student populace would devalue properties.
“International literature shows that small towns are vulnerable to ‘studentification’ when something like this is imposed on them. All of the rental accommodation gets taken over by student digs. Rental prices go through the roof, but then property values drop through the floor.”
He said ratepayers were not “anti-development” but they wanted the area behind their village to be developed responsibly.
They have already locked horns with Tongaat Hulett Developments on other facets of the Sibaya Precinct Project, specifically a multibillion-rand hotel and residential development that is, at its closest point, less than 1km from Umdloti.
“We took issue because we felt they had breached conditions of an environmental impact assessment in 2009, and also the height restrictions in the precinct plan. You’ll see work has stopped on that building while the municipality considers our objections,” he said.
Professor Wayne Hugo of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Education and Development said the concerns of residents were not unique.
“You have some partying and noise and you have difficulty in separating who is local and who is not.
“These are some of the issues they would face. Issues of exclusivity would also arise, keeping the neighbourhood for those who want it.
“There are newer developments which are trying to integrate spaces like universities into exclusive spaces like these communities. This is where you don’t have this apartheid-type situation where you strongly separate the rich from the poor.”
Hugo said while some of the concerns may be legitimate, others, like plummeting property values, did not hold up.
“The rule of thumb is that where there is a university, property values go up. Just news of a university would send developers to shoot there and snap up property.
“We can see that they are trying to develop a mixed-use model, and that is a good idea.
“If you’re old and quiet and want to drift off to obsolescence, then this is not going to appeal to you. If you are young and keen to be part of a vibrant community, then this will be exciting,” Hugo said.
AdvTech said the Independent Institute of Education, “the largest private higher education provider in South Africa and a brand of AdvTech”, was investigating a number of opportunities to establish a new campus for its Varsity College and Vega brands.
Tongaat Hulett Developments MD Michael Deighton said the business had acknowledged that development would change the landscape and impact people in various ways. “We will continue to engage with all stakeholder communities in an effort to reduce negative impact.”