Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
FOCUS ON 2017
The City of Cape Town announced six new sites for housing in Cape Town, which will include affordable, social and inclusionary housing developments.
The new sites are Drury, New Market and Canterbury streets, all in central Cape Town, and Earl Street, Mountain Road and Pickwick Street, all in Woodstock.
Pine Road, Dillon Lane, and Bromwell Street have been identified for social housing. Sites to be developed for transitional housing are James Street and Pickwick Road, both in Salt River.
Capetonians have had an opportunity to engage with City of Cape Town plans to allow the development of sites in Salt River, Woodstock and the inner-city for affordable and inclusionary housing for communities.
The city held three open days at the Science Centre in Observatory at which people were able to interact with officials and study maps of the 11 city-owned sites which will be developed by the private sector. All are within 5km of Cape Town’s CBD.
Brett Herron, mayco member for Transport and Urban Development, said the announcement of the plan to develop prime land for lower-income residents in Cape Town marked “a break with our apartheid past”.
He estimated that approximately 4 000 lower-income households – households with a monthly income of between R3 501 and R15 000 – would move into these units as they became available.
Climate change is affecting the earth and its inhabitants, and people are doing more to minimise their impact on its natural resources.
The property sector throughout the world is seeing a number of building and living initiatives being implemented to make homes and houses eco-friendly, including the installation of solar panels and boreholes.
Responding to Cape Town’s water crisis, builders and developers this year aimed to use alternate water sources in their work.
According to the Green Building Council of South Africa ( GBCSA), the built environment accounts for 20% of the world’s potable water usage, and green buildings can save between 20% and 100% of the potable water conventional building would use.
With saving water a “major priority” in the Western Cape, Manfred Braune, executive director of certifications at the GBCSA, says in some cases green buildings can be designed and operated to generate more water than they use
“All
buildings
can
be most popular sizes for small properties ranged from 40m² to 70m², but the trend is growing so rapidly that even tiny – and often portable – homes from 17m² to 37m² attracted interest.
Cape Town is set to see the development of the first stateof-the-art micro-living apartments in the city, to be constructed at 1 Albert Road in Woodstock.
Rob Steffanutto, group managing director at Dogon Property Group, who will market the micro-units, says with affordability and space being such an issue developers need to look into alternative housing such as micro-units for single-person households.
Mixed- use suburbs that offer residents employment and schooling options are sought-after in the Western Cape as people become fed up with the daily commute.
Traffic and unreliable public transport have drawn people to live close to work.
Mixed- use suburbs have become an established feature of the country’s metros, says Lew Geffen, chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty.
Mike Greeff, chief executive of Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate, says one of the fastest growing mixeduse areas is Claremont, with many corporates establishing headquarters there.
Other mixed-use suburbs included Kenilworth, Woodstock, and Green Point.
Laurie Wener, Pam Golding Properties senior executive for developments, says overall in Cape Town, the rise in mixeduse developments has been followed by the emergence of mixed-use suburbs.
The CBD and City Bowl have been transformed over the past decade, with residential developments going up next to prime office space.
Other areas are also affected, including Wynberg Chelsea, Observatory, and Lower Claremont.
Prepaid electricity and water meters are becoming non-negotiables in Cape Town homes.
The City of Cape Town is encouraging the switch from credit systems, and has made it mandatory for all new dwellings to have prepaid electricity meters installed.
Karen Wheller, chief operating officer of PrepaidMeters. co.za, which supplies prepaid electricity and water systems throughout the country, says residents want the meters to have more control over their use and budgets.
Many homeowners let their homes or self-contained flatlets via Airbnb, and split electrical meters between both, says Michael Bester, senior partner at Tyson Properties on the Atlantic Seaboard and in the City Bowl.
Lorraine Dellbridge, rentals manager for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in the southern suburbs and False Bay, says prepaid meters also give landlords peace of mind.
Semigration became a bigger buzz this year, and Cape Town remains the province of choice.
The Pam Golding Properties Residential Review showed that, since 2011, there has been a notable and continuing increase in semigration, and that as at January 2016, the Western Cape was the most popular destination for those moving.
Agents report a substantial interest from Gauteng buyers in the province, says Pam Golding Property Group chief executive Dr Andrew Golding.
FNB Estate Agent Surveys showed that for the two summer quarters of 2016/2017, the City of Cape Town had the lowest percentage of people selling to move to other parts of the country.
Pam Golding Property group agents said many of the Gauteng sales were to buyers wanting a second residence, with the intention of settling in the province in the long term. Rural towns in the vast Karoo, which spans several regions, continue to hold appeal for their country lifestyles and community engagement, and as an affordable option for retirees.
Semigrants who moved to Cape Town reported that they did so for better and safer quality of life. However, they complained about traffic congestion, population growth and high property prices. The clean environment, scenery and entertainment options were among the reason they stayed, regardless of the negatives. The higher salaries and career opportunities were also drawcards.