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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
NOVEMBER
2015
Richmond Park will be developed
on 84 ha of land as a landmark
business park and mixed-use
precinct consisting of retail, light
industrial, commercial and warehousing
property development.
The property has bulk development
rights of around 300 000 m
2
over the next
5-10 years.
“This is certainly going to be a mega
development. It will be along the lines of the
Atterbury initiated Waterfall development in
Gauteng, but will focus more on commercial
and warehousing due to its location in Cape
Town’s industrial hub of Milnerton,” says
Gerrit van den Berg, Atterbury’s development
manager for its Western Cape developments.
“The initial 300 000 m
2
development
phase of Richmond Park is anticipated
to attract investment of up to R5-billion.
This will make it one of the biggest new
commercial developments in Cape Town and
Atterbury’s biggest development yet in the
Western Cape.
“While Atterbury is the major share-
holder, we are undertaking this development
in Cape Town in association with local part-
ners Bethel Property and Qubic 3 Dimen-
sional Property.
“This is a groundbreaking project, not
only from a magnitude and concept perspec-
tive, but also from a socioeconomic and
community upliftment perspective. The land
on which Richmond Park will be developed is
part of a landmark land restitution settle-
ment,” adds Van den Berg.
A claim to have ownership of the land
restored to its original owners in terms of the
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
>
Restitution of Land Rights Act was approved
and the land was officially transferred back
to the Richmond Park Communal Property
Association in December 2014.
Richard Glass of Bethel Property,
explains: “About 400 families were forcibly
removed from this land in 1972 and resettled
in Atlantis and the Cape Flats. These families
today represent around 5 300 people span-
ning five generations.
“They finally had the land transferred
back to them in December 2014 in the form
of a community trust (the Richmond Park
Communal Property Association).”
Van den Berg adds: “Atterbury is proud
to have landed the contract to develop this
site and to be associated with this project.
It has huge significance both as a major new
commercial development in Cape Town and
from a socio economic and community uplift-
ment perspective, with the affected families
benefiting through the community trust.
“The significance of this project has been
recognised by all three levels of government,
from the city and province, through to the
national Department of Rural Development
and Land Reform. We appreciate their
support and assistance, which has been
instrumental in getting us to this point
to officially launch Richmond Park to the
BIGGEST
development yet
market. Besides being a catalytic project that
will attract investment, this development will
create jobs and skills development opportu-
nities for local people.”
Glass remarks: “During construction
alone, some 15 000 jobs are anticipated to
be created over Richmond Park’s develop-
ment period. What’s also crucial is creating
employment and skills development
opportunities for the Richmond claimants.
Currently, some 50% of the claimants are
unemployed and survive off state welfare
grants. We want to change this situation and
see this as a socially conscious project and a
catalyst for positive change.”
With the commercial launch of Richmond
Park, the installation of bulk services to the
site is set to commence this year (2015).
Following the first bulk earthworks, construc-
tion of the initial top structures is planned for
mid-2016, while the completion of the first
buildings within the park is anticipated for
the last quarter of 2016.
Van den Berg reports that, even before
launch, there has been strong commercial
interest in the development. He points out
the park’s strategic location in Milnerton,
with great visibility and access to the N7
highway and other key arterial routes.
“As part of the project, the developers
will be investing around R150-million for
surrounding road infrastructure upgrades
and access to the development.
“Within the Richmond Park precinct,
investors and tenants can look forward to
wide landscaped boulevards amongst other
features that will set it apart from other
business parks in the region. The precinct is
also being designed to interface well with the
surrounding properties and neighbourhood,”
he adds.
“It has huge significance both as a major new commercial
development in Cape Town and from a socioeconomic and
community upliftment perspective, with the affected families
benefiting through the community trust.”
Atterbury Property recently launched Richmond Park – a
new multi-billion rand mixed-use property development
in Cape Town on a prime greenfields site in Milnerton
adjacent to the N7 highway – in its biggest and most
ambitious project yet in the Western Cape.