If you want to make a difference in this crazy world, you have to stand up and be counted. Amber Dawn has stood up, walked around, breathed in the air and been amazed by the new horizons it has discovered
When Amber Dawn decided it wanted to share its moral code and sense of social responsibility with fellow businesses, boss Ed Peen published his admirable manifesto.
This light touch, as opposed to an aggressive marketing campaign, proves, once again, that the pen is mightier than the sword.
By publishing his columns—aimed at people involved in property development in Africa—Peens has sought to educate, inform and encourage other businesses.
The haves and the have yachts
Amber Dawn was created after Ed Peen had emerged from retirement. Indeed, he had only just arrived back in his native South Africa after an extraordinary ten-year round-the-world hiatus. It should be pointed out that when he set sail he was still only 44!
Peen takes up the story: “I started in property back in ’79 and took over as managing director of the company I was working for in 1980, and during the ensuing 12 months the company went from one office to 50 franchises, while the workforce rose to 500. After developing it into a major top-five company, I decided to retire in 1993. I needed a break, so my wife and I got on my yacht and went sailing!”
After a decade exploring all manner of exotic locations he decided to settle in his native South Africa. With the country he loves still in a transitional period, Peen was adamant that his company could contribute proactively to positive cultural changes.
“After such extensive traveling we decided to settle down for a bit and top up the old retirement fund again. We looked at all the countries that we visited, but decided to come back to South Africa,” Peen added.
It’s a wonderful life
The pilgrimage back to the homeland proved to be an inspirational decision.
“South Africa is a wonderful country, with wonderful opportunities ahead and a wonderful future. We’ve got our difficulties, the same as every country in the world, but as long as we can resolve those problems, the sky is the limit,” says Peen.
After getting his feet back onto dry land Peen was almost immediately seduced back into the property game, by some old partners. Initially, he got involved in a very big industrial development, opposite Ballito, which is the fastest growing area in South Africa.
One of their first moves was to purchase 35 hectares of land which it converted into industrial parks and put on the market. The development included 22 mini-factories which were successfully sold and let. In the meantime, the small business started getting bigger, resulting in the formation of Amber Dawn.
This initial activity had been an exciting experience for the company and, having weathered the storm from the economic downturn, Peen and his team have now set their sights firmly on phase 2 of the project. This next stage involves the development of another 76 hectares and, at the time of writing, the team are already handling pre-sales.
Drive time
During the recession the company had a chance to refocus and at the beginning of 2011 an old of friend of Peen’s encouraged him to explore niche ventures.
Peen explains: “Peter and I got in a car and, over the last six months, we’ve travelled thousands of kilometres, visiting virtually every small, rural town in the area.”
“Very quickly we came to an epiphany. For the first time in our lives we were meeting black people in the population who were not maids, gardeners or bureaucratic officials. We were actually meeting genuine black businessmen with ambition,” he says. “It was a real revelation because these people owned businesses and had properties, but often had no idea how to unlock the value, simply because they’ve never been trained.”
After encountering Princes of royal blood, mayors and agency officials throughout rural areas, the intrepid pair decided that they didn’t want to be just another developer; they wanted Amber Dawn to get into ventures within the local communities and help them redevelop their properties. Consequently, joint partnerships with black businessmen have been the company’s primary focus over the last six months.
“We value their property at a fair rate and then they come into our developments as share-holders, building their income in the process,” says Peen. “We also talk to municipalities and see what the needs are and work with them to develop the land that is available. The projects have significantly increased income for these rural towns and created many jobs.”
Transformers
Since the ventures began 93 development opportunities in these rural areas have arisen. Of that number 17 have become petrol filling station developments. From the remaining number Amber Dawn selected the top 30, which the team have started to develop those. Currently there are six shopping centres and eight petrol filling stations in the pipeline over the next few months.
While changing the landscape, both culturally and physically, Peen continues to compose his digital newsletter, updating readers on his progress and also encouraging other property developers to work ethically with their countrymen. After all, building fairer partnerships actively galvanises, not only businesses, but the approach of an entire nation.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Friday, 7 October 2011
IMBONINI - GOING GREEN FROM THE GROUND UP
With an increasing global environmental consciousness, the necessity to ensure that every action we take as human beings has as little impact on the environment as possible, is becoming of utmost importance. This philosophy has extended into what has become known as ‘Green’ Architecture; and architects, property developers and property owners are seen as having a responsibility to the earth and humanity to create sustainable, ‘green’ projects.
By making environmentally friendly decisions from the word go that will reduce waste and pollution both during and after construction, architects and developers can make an enormous difference to the environment as well as reduce overall running costs of the completed development. While construction costs of environmentally friendly buildings may be slightly higher and require more innovative solutions than traditional construction processes, the end result is a building that runs more efficiently because energy conservation and active minimisation of waste forms part of the core design plan. In a recent US study, 84% of ‘green’ building owners reported that they had lower energy costs, with 68% reporting lower overall running costs.
So what does ‘going green’ entail in terms of commercial property development and construction?
The developers of Imbonini have taken many factors into account during construction to ensure an environmentally friendly development. Fundamentals such as choice of site and minimising waste and pollution during construction are certainly contributing factors to ‘Green’ architecture, however there is so much more that needs to be thought of.
The indirect effects of property development and construction include water and energy usage, impact on humans who will be living or working in the building and effective, efficient building maintenance post construction (to name a few).
There are 6 basic principles of ‘Green’ architecture, and construction, and design and daily maintenance at Imbonini applies as many of these as feasible to ensure structures that are both environmentally and people friendly.
1. Optimising Site or Existing Structure Potential
This includes reusing or renovating any existing structure (rather than demolishing and creating waste) as well as conducting studies of the site to make sure that it is optimally suited to the type of development proposed. Although the Imbonini site offered negligible usable existing structures, the developers located the estate in a way that it would make the best use of existing infrustructure, allowing for convenient access to the development without the need to deplete resources by building new roads. In fact, as a result of development at Imbonini (and enormous growth in the whole area of the North Coast in general), existing roads are being upgraded to allow for greater volumes of traffic, which will ease traffic flow and in the long term, reduce CO2 emissions from congested traffic.
2. Optimising Energy Use
In the design phase of development, it is imperative to find solutions that will reduce energy consumption. All of Imbonini’s factory designs incorporate solid white roofs. White roofs reflect the heat of the sun rather than absorbing it, which results in natural cooling within the structures. While the need for cooling systems is certainly not eliminated, it is drastically reduced – a huge cost saving initiative for tenants and investors.
3. Protecting and Conserving Water
Steps should be taken to ensure that any water existing on site is not contaminated during constuction, or once the building is in use. Both during construction and after, strict water policies have been in place at Imbonini. Large portions of Imbonini’s open space consists of natural wetlands systems, as specified by the DAEA, and every effort is made to protect these systems and make sure that water is not contaminated. Tenants are ‘policed’ to ensure that no oils or chemical substances are disposed of via the stormwater drains, and hefty fines of up to R1 million can be levied by the DAEA if necessary.
4. Using Environmentally Friendly Resources
Materials that have little or no negative impact on human health or the health of the environment should be used throughout construction. At Imbonini, a simple design choice such as white roofing doesn’t just save on energy costs – the reduced energy consumption also results in lower CO2 emissions made by the development as a whole. If every roof in the entire world was painted white, the result would be a reduction of 44 billion tons of CO2 gasses per year. Or to put it another way, it would have the same effect as removing every motor vehicle from the road for 11 years.
5. Ensuring a High Indoor Environmental Quality
The completed building should maximise the use of natural sunlight and ventilation, and as far as possible avoid the overuse of air conditioning systems that create an unnatural, unhealthy environment for people working within the building. Again, Imbonini’s white roofs create natural cooling, reducing the need for man made cooling systems – and ensuring a healthier indoor environment.
6. Optimising Operational and Maintenance Practices
By specifying materials and suggesting systems that reduce maintenance requirements, architects and developers ensure that maintaining a building requires less water, energy and use of toxic cleaning chemicals, which are harmful to the environment as well as human beings.
In addition to strict water policies, environmental maintenance is high on the list of priorities at Imbonini. Because of the wetlands systems that form part of the estate, ensuring that these areas remain unaffected by industry is very important. Dedicated staff are responsible for keeping the wetlands grounds free from alien plants, and all garden areas are kept indigenous. Stormwater controls are carefully maintained to ensure that there is no washing away of the topsoil or soil erosion. The detrimental effects of soil erosion are diverse, from creating harmful balances of chemicals in the soil that can contaminate water, to increasing the chances of landslides and compromising the stability of building foundations.
The developers of Imbonini have made every effort, right from the start, to ensure that the estate’s environmental impact is minimal. Even though the development is an industrial concern, seemingly at odds with nature, various principles of design and maintenance work together in an almost organic fashion to ensure environmental stability; reducing energy consumption, saving costs, lowering CO2 emissions, protecting water and ultimately resulting in a healthier working environment for all.
By making environmentally friendly decisions from the word go that will reduce waste and pollution both during and after construction, architects and developers can make an enormous difference to the environment as well as reduce overall running costs of the completed development. While construction costs of environmentally friendly buildings may be slightly higher and require more innovative solutions than traditional construction processes, the end result is a building that runs more efficiently because energy conservation and active minimisation of waste forms part of the core design plan. In a recent US study, 84% of ‘green’ building owners reported that they had lower energy costs, with 68% reporting lower overall running costs.
So what does ‘going green’ entail in terms of commercial property development and construction?
The developers of Imbonini have taken many factors into account during construction to ensure an environmentally friendly development. Fundamentals such as choice of site and minimising waste and pollution during construction are certainly contributing factors to ‘Green’ architecture, however there is so much more that needs to be thought of.
The indirect effects of property development and construction include water and energy usage, impact on humans who will be living or working in the building and effective, efficient building maintenance post construction (to name a few).
There are 6 basic principles of ‘Green’ architecture, and construction, and design and daily maintenance at Imbonini applies as many of these as feasible to ensure structures that are both environmentally and people friendly.
1. Optimising Site or Existing Structure Potential
This includes reusing or renovating any existing structure (rather than demolishing and creating waste) as well as conducting studies of the site to make sure that it is optimally suited to the type of development proposed. Although the Imbonini site offered negligible usable existing structures, the developers located the estate in a way that it would make the best use of existing infrustructure, allowing for convenient access to the development without the need to deplete resources by building new roads. In fact, as a result of development at Imbonini (and enormous growth in the whole area of the North Coast in general), existing roads are being upgraded to allow for greater volumes of traffic, which will ease traffic flow and in the long term, reduce CO2 emissions from congested traffic.
2. Optimising Energy Use
In the design phase of development, it is imperative to find solutions that will reduce energy consumption. All of Imbonini’s factory designs incorporate solid white roofs. White roofs reflect the heat of the sun rather than absorbing it, which results in natural cooling within the structures. While the need for cooling systems is certainly not eliminated, it is drastically reduced – a huge cost saving initiative for tenants and investors.
3. Protecting and Conserving Water
Steps should be taken to ensure that any water existing on site is not contaminated during constuction, or once the building is in use. Both during construction and after, strict water policies have been in place at Imbonini. Large portions of Imbonini’s open space consists of natural wetlands systems, as specified by the DAEA, and every effort is made to protect these systems and make sure that water is not contaminated. Tenants are ‘policed’ to ensure that no oils or chemical substances are disposed of via the stormwater drains, and hefty fines of up to R1 million can be levied by the DAEA if necessary.
4. Using Environmentally Friendly Resources
Materials that have little or no negative impact on human health or the health of the environment should be used throughout construction. At Imbonini, a simple design choice such as white roofing doesn’t just save on energy costs – the reduced energy consumption also results in lower CO2 emissions made by the development as a whole. If every roof in the entire world was painted white, the result would be a reduction of 44 billion tons of CO2 gasses per year. Or to put it another way, it would have the same effect as removing every motor vehicle from the road for 11 years.
5. Ensuring a High Indoor Environmental Quality
The completed building should maximise the use of natural sunlight and ventilation, and as far as possible avoid the overuse of air conditioning systems that create an unnatural, unhealthy environment for people working within the building. Again, Imbonini’s white roofs create natural cooling, reducing the need for man made cooling systems – and ensuring a healthier indoor environment.
6. Optimising Operational and Maintenance Practices
By specifying materials and suggesting systems that reduce maintenance requirements, architects and developers ensure that maintaining a building requires less water, energy and use of toxic cleaning chemicals, which are harmful to the environment as well as human beings.
In addition to strict water policies, environmental maintenance is high on the list of priorities at Imbonini. Because of the wetlands systems that form part of the estate, ensuring that these areas remain unaffected by industry is very important. Dedicated staff are responsible for keeping the wetlands grounds free from alien plants, and all garden areas are kept indigenous. Stormwater controls are carefully maintained to ensure that there is no washing away of the topsoil or soil erosion. The detrimental effects of soil erosion are diverse, from creating harmful balances of chemicals in the soil that can contaminate water, to increasing the chances of landslides and compromising the stability of building foundations.
The developers of Imbonini have made every effort, right from the start, to ensure that the estate’s environmental impact is minimal. Even though the development is an industrial concern, seemingly at odds with nature, various principles of design and maintenance work together in an almost organic fashion to ensure environmental stability; reducing energy consumption, saving costs, lowering CO2 emissions, protecting water and ultimately resulting in a healthier working environment for all.
IMBONINI AT THE NEXUS OF THE NORTH COAST INDUSTRIAL BOOM
If you haven’t noticed that KZN’s North Coast is booming, you’ve been hiding out in a hole on Mars. And right in the middle of this incredible commercial, industrial and economic upswing – and perfectly positioned to take advantage of the many exciting opportunities that it presents – is Imbonini Park.
Imbonini Park – the second phase of which will be launching soon – is an industrial and commercial property development comprising a variety of development opportunities within a single, secure, upmarket industrial estate. A large cross section of industries have already made Imbonini their home, and the park now includes a number of mini factory, warehousing and large manufacturing concerns.
The development offers an ideal location just 10 minutes from KSIA and the Dube Tradeport, and 1km from the N2 freeway. This extremely accessible location, coupled with superb main road signage opportunities, makes the park appealing to both end users and investors alike. Imbonini’s location midway between Richard’s Bay and Durban is becoming all the more appealing to businesses in search of commercially viable and convenient premises.
Currently, the ports of Durban and Richard’s Bay handle nearly 80% of the South Africa’s cargo tonnage. The development of KSIA and the Dube Tradeport are only the first signs of new growth and expansion in one of South Africa’s fastest growing regions.
With a location literally at the crossroads of industrial and commercial infrastructure on KZN’s North Coast, development at Imbonini Park is progressing rapidly. Phase 1 – approx. 141 000m2 of serviced and platformed land – saw investment predominantly by end users. Of a total of 42 sites, only 6 remain available for purchase. 5 sites are currently being developed, and 14 are complete.
Ed Peen (Chairman of Imbonini Park and Amber Dawn Developments) is excited about the success of Imbonini Park thus far and the development’s future prospects. He says “We are delighted with the success of Imbonini Park and look forward to its continued success when we launch Phase 2”.
Phase 2 of Imbonini Park will be launched soon, comprising 400 000m2 of high end industrial land as well as a residential and commercial component. A phased approach will be adopted in the sales of Phase 2. The first portion of the second phase to be unlocked will be approx. 4 Ha in size, comprising 4 sites of 6 000, 8 000,
11 000 and 16 000m2 respectively. At the same time, plans are in place to widen the R102 all the way through to Stanger to enable the road to cope with increased traffic flow – granting further benefits to investors and owners at Imbonini Park.
As Ballito establishes itself as the new commercial hub of KZN, the time has never been more perfect to invest in KZN’s North Coast. Both for investors looking for secure, guaranteed growth; and end users in search of the ideal business premises near Ballito, Imbonini Park offers the perfect opportunity to succeed.
Imbonini Park – the second phase of which will be launching soon – is an industrial and commercial property development comprising a variety of development opportunities within a single, secure, upmarket industrial estate. A large cross section of industries have already made Imbonini their home, and the park now includes a number of mini factory, warehousing and large manufacturing concerns.
The development offers an ideal location just 10 minutes from KSIA and the Dube Tradeport, and 1km from the N2 freeway. This extremely accessible location, coupled with superb main road signage opportunities, makes the park appealing to both end users and investors alike. Imbonini’s location midway between Richard’s Bay and Durban is becoming all the more appealing to businesses in search of commercially viable and convenient premises.
Currently, the ports of Durban and Richard’s Bay handle nearly 80% of the South Africa’s cargo tonnage. The development of KSIA and the Dube Tradeport are only the first signs of new growth and expansion in one of South Africa’s fastest growing regions.
With a location literally at the crossroads of industrial and commercial infrastructure on KZN’s North Coast, development at Imbonini Park is progressing rapidly. Phase 1 – approx. 141 000m2 of serviced and platformed land – saw investment predominantly by end users. Of a total of 42 sites, only 6 remain available for purchase. 5 sites are currently being developed, and 14 are complete.
Ed Peen (Chairman of Imbonini Park and Amber Dawn Developments) is excited about the success of Imbonini Park thus far and the development’s future prospects. He says “We are delighted with the success of Imbonini Park and look forward to its continued success when we launch Phase 2”.
Phase 2 of Imbonini Park will be launched soon, comprising 400 000m2 of high end industrial land as well as a residential and commercial component. A phased approach will be adopted in the sales of Phase 2. The first portion of the second phase to be unlocked will be approx. 4 Ha in size, comprising 4 sites of 6 000, 8 000,
11 000 and 16 000m2 respectively. At the same time, plans are in place to widen the R102 all the way through to Stanger to enable the road to cope with increased traffic flow – granting further benefits to investors and owners at Imbonini Park.
As Ballito establishes itself as the new commercial hub of KZN, the time has never been more perfect to invest in KZN’s North Coast. Both for investors looking for secure, guaranteed growth; and end users in search of the ideal business premises near Ballito, Imbonini Park offers the perfect opportunity to succeed.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
What the future holds
The past few years of economic depression have hit South Africa’s economy hard, and have been especially tough on the property development and investment market. However, things are certainly looking up, and in this climate of tentative hope KwaZulu Natal’s North Coast is currently experiencing a surge of development that will have far reaching positive effects on the economy of the region.
Ballito’s prime location precisely halfway between Richard’s Bay and Durban (2 of Africa’s major trade ports) has facilitated enormous growth; and the development and construction of King Shaka International Airport and the Dube Tradeport have paved the way for a number of exciting projects that will see the North Coast becoming the trade and transport hub of KwaZulu Natal. Ballito and the surrounding areas form part of the iLlembe District Municipality, which has recorded the highest economic growth of any region in KwaZulu Natal last year.
In addition to KSIA and the Dube Tradeport, and perhaps as a result of the greatly improved infrastructure that these developments have provided, recent years have seen the town of Ballito slowly but surely gaining popularity as a destination for national events such as the Mr Price Pro and Ballito Prawn Festival that draw in millions of visitors each year. The North Coast retail industry is booming, with a 3000m2 expansion planned for the existing Lifestyle Centre, a new shopping centre at the N3 Salt Rock offramp and plans afoot for many other commercial developments in the pipeline. Industrial/commercial ventures are doing exceptionally well, with new businesses constantly opening their doors in the Ballito Business Park, and developments such as Imbonini Industrial Park receiving a great deal of interest both from investors and end users.
Ed Peen, Chairman of Amber Dawn Developments, the company responsible for developing Imbonini Park, believes that we are close to a “tipping point” in the property market – and he’s referring not just to the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal, but to the whole of South Africa.
“We are living in interesting times right now.” Says Ed. “The market as we all know has been shocking for the past two years. There have been slight pickups but they don’t last long. However, it looks, tentatively, as though the current interest in the market may have some legs. We have seen a lot of enquiries at our industrial developments near Ballito for both land at Imbonini Park and units at Acacia Park for both sales and letting from both investors and end users… Of interest is the fact that all enquiries up to now have been from end users and this is the first month we have had enquiries from investors.”
With investors showing greater interest in the area, the potential for growth in the iLlembe District is exponential. Each new development results in improved infrastructure, and further opportunities for developers and investors to meet the needs of this growing community. Over the next few years, approximately 1 million people are expected to migrate to the North Coast as a result of new work opportunities. Further development includes a R630 million International Tourism and Convention Centre, which will provide 4100 temporary jobs during construction and 1200 permanent jobs after construction is complete in 2015. The ICC will include an international 5 star hotel as well as a multimodal transit centre with bus and rail links.
Hot on the heels of the planned ICC, is the Greenlands New Town Centre, which should be launched in the next few years. GAPP Architects and Urban Designers, who have worked on high profile projects such as Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, are responsible for the design of the project. The Greenlands New Town Centre will be twice the size of Umhlanga, and will provide the expanding North Coast community with an exciting mix of piazzas, boulevards, hotels, retail outlets, wellness and medical related facilities, civic and social facilities, leisure components, restaurants and offices as well as residential and light industrial nodes. The 200ha development is on a site inland of the N2 skirting the perimeter of the Umhlali Golf Course and will create about 35000 temporary jobs and generate R200 million per year during construction. Once completed, it will create 20000 permanent jobs and contribute R4 billion per year to KZN’s gross domestic product.
To meet the demands of this incredible commercial growth, and consequent residential expansion that is bound to take place, a new interchange off the N2 freeway is already under construction. Improved roads will facilitate easier, safer access to Ballito and the North Coast’s new commercial and residential areas. The completed new infrastructure will include a loop ramp similar to Durban’s Spaghetti Junction being constructed to ease the flow of traffic off the N2 and into Ballito, the widening of the road to 4 lanes from just past Wakenshaw Estate up to the M4, and the broadening of Ballito Drive from the R102 to the N2 to four lanes with pedestrian walkways and street lighting either side. The expected date of completion for this large-scale project is expected in December 2012.
All said and done, the iLlembe District is firmly putting itself on the map as a place where great things are happening, very quickly. The sheer volume of development that is taking place has taken Ballito from a sleepy seaside town to a thriving commercial hub in just a few short years. If you’re looking to expand your property portfolio or buy a new factory for your business, the time to do it is now. And the place to do it, is KwaZulu Natal’s North Coast.
Ballito’s prime location precisely halfway between Richard’s Bay and Durban (2 of Africa’s major trade ports) has facilitated enormous growth; and the development and construction of King Shaka International Airport and the Dube Tradeport have paved the way for a number of exciting projects that will see the North Coast becoming the trade and transport hub of KwaZulu Natal. Ballito and the surrounding areas form part of the iLlembe District Municipality, which has recorded the highest economic growth of any region in KwaZulu Natal last year.
In addition to KSIA and the Dube Tradeport, and perhaps as a result of the greatly improved infrastructure that these developments have provided, recent years have seen the town of Ballito slowly but surely gaining popularity as a destination for national events such as the Mr Price Pro and Ballito Prawn Festival that draw in millions of visitors each year. The North Coast retail industry is booming, with a 3000m2 expansion planned for the existing Lifestyle Centre, a new shopping centre at the N3 Salt Rock offramp and plans afoot for many other commercial developments in the pipeline. Industrial/commercial ventures are doing exceptionally well, with new businesses constantly opening their doors in the Ballito Business Park, and developments such as Imbonini Industrial Park receiving a great deal of interest both from investors and end users.
Ed Peen, Chairman of Amber Dawn Developments, the company responsible for developing Imbonini Park, believes that we are close to a “tipping point” in the property market – and he’s referring not just to the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal, but to the whole of South Africa.
“We are living in interesting times right now.” Says Ed. “The market as we all know has been shocking for the past two years. There have been slight pickups but they don’t last long. However, it looks, tentatively, as though the current interest in the market may have some legs. We have seen a lot of enquiries at our industrial developments near Ballito for both land at Imbonini Park and units at Acacia Park for both sales and letting from both investors and end users… Of interest is the fact that all enquiries up to now have been from end users and this is the first month we have had enquiries from investors.”
With investors showing greater interest in the area, the potential for growth in the iLlembe District is exponential. Each new development results in improved infrastructure, and further opportunities for developers and investors to meet the needs of this growing community. Over the next few years, approximately 1 million people are expected to migrate to the North Coast as a result of new work opportunities. Further development includes a R630 million International Tourism and Convention Centre, which will provide 4100 temporary jobs during construction and 1200 permanent jobs after construction is complete in 2015. The ICC will include an international 5 star hotel as well as a multimodal transit centre with bus and rail links.
Hot on the heels of the planned ICC, is the Greenlands New Town Centre, which should be launched in the next few years. GAPP Architects and Urban Designers, who have worked on high profile projects such as Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, are responsible for the design of the project. The Greenlands New Town Centre will be twice the size of Umhlanga, and will provide the expanding North Coast community with an exciting mix of piazzas, boulevards, hotels, retail outlets, wellness and medical related facilities, civic and social facilities, leisure components, restaurants and offices as well as residential and light industrial nodes. The 200ha development is on a site inland of the N2 skirting the perimeter of the Umhlali Golf Course and will create about 35000 temporary jobs and generate R200 million per year during construction. Once completed, it will create 20000 permanent jobs and contribute R4 billion per year to KZN’s gross domestic product.
To meet the demands of this incredible commercial growth, and consequent residential expansion that is bound to take place, a new interchange off the N2 freeway is already under construction. Improved roads will facilitate easier, safer access to Ballito and the North Coast’s new commercial and residential areas. The completed new infrastructure will include a loop ramp similar to Durban’s Spaghetti Junction being constructed to ease the flow of traffic off the N2 and into Ballito, the widening of the road to 4 lanes from just past Wakenshaw Estate up to the M4, and the broadening of Ballito Drive from the R102 to the N2 to four lanes with pedestrian walkways and street lighting either side. The expected date of completion for this large-scale project is expected in December 2012.
All said and done, the iLlembe District is firmly putting itself on the map as a place where great things are happening, very quickly. The sheer volume of development that is taking place has taken Ballito from a sleepy seaside town to a thriving commercial hub in just a few short years. If you’re looking to expand your property portfolio or buy a new factory for your business, the time to do it is now. And the place to do it, is KwaZulu Natal’s North Coast.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Prime commercial property in the Upper Highway area
Nguni Park, conveniently located in central Hillcrest, is an upmarket office park comprising 16 brand new sectional title units. 4 office blocks, each containing 4 units, are situated in beautiful, park-like surrounds typical of the Upper Highway area. The units are attractively designed with A-grade finishes to end user specifications.
Chosen primarily for its convenient location only 2km from the M13, Nguni Park boasts excellent security and ample parking. Current tenants who have chosen to conduct business from the park are all more than satisfied with their decision, describing the park as “very clean and tidy, with good security”.
Especially noteworthy is Nguni Park’s superb management, with any tenant issues being addressed fairly and timeously. The response time of Amber Dawn, property managers of Nguni Park has been described as “very good”, while one tenant commented that Amber Dawn had been “great and very understanding”
Nguni Park units range in size from 184m² to 750m²; and are priced from R14 500 per m² for sale and R95 per m² for rent.
Of the 16 units, 8 units have been sold, 7 units are available for sale with an existing tenant, while only one unit remains unoccupied. This unit is priced to sell at R14 500 per m², but is also available for rental at R95 per m².
Chosen primarily for its convenient location only 2km from the M13, Nguni Park boasts excellent security and ample parking. Current tenants who have chosen to conduct business from the park are all more than satisfied with their decision, describing the park as “very clean and tidy, with good security”.
Especially noteworthy is Nguni Park’s superb management, with any tenant issues being addressed fairly and timeously. The response time of Amber Dawn, property managers of Nguni Park has been described as “very good”, while one tenant commented that Amber Dawn had been “great and very understanding”
Nguni Park units range in size from 184m² to 750m²; and are priced from R14 500 per m² for sale and R95 per m² for rent.
Of the 16 units, 8 units have been sold, 7 units are available for sale with an existing tenant, while only one unit remains unoccupied. This unit is priced to sell at R14 500 per m², but is also available for rental at R95 per m².
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Amber Dawn Press Release - Harding Corner
Amber Dawn to put Harding on the Retail Map
It’s been a long time coming, but finally the small town of Harding near Port Shepstone in KZN will be home to a much-needed, modern shopping centre - Harding Corner.
The centre’s developers, Amber Dawn Developments, have already acquired prime land in Hawkins Street - the main access route into Harding. Harding Corner, will service both the town and outlying rural areas, providing shoppers with a convenient and easily accessible 9000m² shopping centre. It will be anchored by a national supermarket chain and supported by a number of national and local line shop tenants. With over 400 parking bays available for customers, it will be the place to shop in Harding.
This R80 million shopping centre is the first phase of retail and commercial developments planned by Amber Dawn for Harding. An in depth study into the area shows that not only is a strong retail offering required, but it also predicted positive growth in the future retail requirements, as well as the economic capacity of this largely rural community. Harding Corner is the start of the developments Amber Dawn has planned to satisfy that growing need.
Ed Peen, Chairman of Amber Dawn, said "We are very excited about this project. Shopping centers in these small towns, do not cater for the shopper. We have ensured our center has ample parking to allow for ease and convenience when shopping. Harding Corner is going to drastically change how people shop in Harding. We have also chosen a top notch team of professionals who will deliver a first class development."
Boogertman and Partners were employed to design the centre and have created a shopping centre that is, first and foremost, focused on accessibility. It is a single storey design with buildings arranged in a U-shape around a central parking area. Bruce Douglas, the centre's architect, said "This shape allows for a more intimate and embracing space, and reduces the distance from parking to shops within the centre. Visually, the centre will take its inspiration from the local rural farming context, and will be reminiscent of upmarket farmyard architecture." Covered walkways in steel and timber will shelter large glass shop fronts framed by with earth-toned accent walls. Service and delivery access will be conveniently located behind the centre.
The R80 million shopping centre is expected to break ground within the next 4 months. Construction time is estimated at 10 months, and it is planned that the centre will open to the public by July 2012.
Amber Dawn is currently concentrating its efforts on retail and storage property developments, and Harding Corner is the first of many exciting projects that they have in the pipeline. The company offers an extensive range of services, including property management, project management, sales and leasing, accounting, administration and marketing.
For rental (and general) enquiries on Harding Corner please contact Sue Hudson on 082 6559 770 or email hudson@hit.co.za
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Acacia Park: The best commercial / industrial development on KZN’s North Coast
Acacia Park: The best commercial/ industrial development on KZN’s North Coast
“Acacia Park is so nice and central, and close to the freeway… I would advise all businesses to move here!” - Trevor (Yellow Broken Window), just one of many satisfied Acacia Park tenants.
Perceptive property investors know that the more appealing and popular a property, the more likely they are to successfully generate a consistent rental income from it. Acacia Park, located within Imbonini Park near Ballito on KwaZulu Natal’s North coast, fits the bill as the ‘perfect’ upmarket commercial/ industrial complex… so it’s no surprise that investors and tenants alike are clamouring for a piece of the pie.
Acacia Park is a high-end industrial park, comprising 22 fully serviced and secure mini factories and warehouses suited to a variety of uses. Since its completion (xx) years ago, the development has grown into a well-managed light industrial complex offering the ideal combination of a superb location and a pleasant, upmarket atmosphere.
Today, of Acacia Park’s 22 units, all are occupied with the exception of 4, and only 7 units remain available to purchase (some with existing tenants). Just a few of the businesses that have made Acacia Park their home are:
Paintec, International Truss system, Yellow Broken Window, Tier One Electronics, Status Entertainment, Bay Tower Properties, The Big Ideas Company, NutriCheese, Armouruk Air and Plant.
Business owners who have chosen to move their premises to Acacia Park have been exceptionally impressed by this “lovely, clean, spacious complex with lots of parking, right on the R102”. Indeed, it is Acacia Park’s incredible location that has been the main contributing factor in the decision of business owners to buy or rent. According to Ben Treloar of Paintec, “The best thing about Acacia Park is the convenience of its location, particularly in relation to everything else”.
Positioned just off the R102, Acacia Park offers excellent, highly visible signage and branding opportunities in addition to an ease of accessibility that simply cannot be matched.
“Acacia Park is so nice and central, and close to the freeway. There are also 3 different routes to Durban, which means we never get traffic – no matter what time of day. I would advise all businesses to move here!” comments Trevor from Yellow Broken Window.
The managing agents of Acacia Park, Amber Dawn, were responsible for the development of the whole of Imbonini Park, including Acacia Park. As a result of having been involved in this property ‘from the ground up’, Amber Dawn have an unrivalled understanding of Acacia Park and are able to meet its property management requirements with unique insight and insider knowledge.
This understanding is reflected in the quality of service offered by Amber Dawn as managing agents to owners and tenants, which is always “excellent”, according to well pleased property owner, Richard Askew.
He goes on to say: “I would recommend Ed Peen and his team to anyone. It has been a pleasure doing business with [Amber Dawn]”.
“Acacia Park is so nice and central, and close to the freeway… I would advise all businesses to move here!” - Trevor (Yellow Broken Window), just one of many satisfied Acacia Park tenants.
Perceptive property investors know that the more appealing and popular a property, the more likely they are to successfully generate a consistent rental income from it. Acacia Park, located within Imbonini Park near Ballito on KwaZulu Natal’s North coast, fits the bill as the ‘perfect’ upmarket commercial/ industrial complex… so it’s no surprise that investors and tenants alike are clamouring for a piece of the pie.
Acacia Park is a high-end industrial park, comprising 22 fully serviced and secure mini factories and warehouses suited to a variety of uses. Since its completion (xx) years ago, the development has grown into a well-managed light industrial complex offering the ideal combination of a superb location and a pleasant, upmarket atmosphere.
Today, of Acacia Park’s 22 units, all are occupied with the exception of 4, and only 7 units remain available to purchase (some with existing tenants). Just a few of the businesses that have made Acacia Park their home are:
Paintec, International Truss system, Yellow Broken Window, Tier One Electronics, Status Entertainment, Bay Tower Properties, The Big Ideas Company, NutriCheese, Armouruk Air and Plant.
Business owners who have chosen to move their premises to Acacia Park have been exceptionally impressed by this “lovely, clean, spacious complex with lots of parking, right on the R102”. Indeed, it is Acacia Park’s incredible location that has been the main contributing factor in the decision of business owners to buy or rent. According to Ben Treloar of Paintec, “The best thing about Acacia Park is the convenience of its location, particularly in relation to everything else”.
Positioned just off the R102, Acacia Park offers excellent, highly visible signage and branding opportunities in addition to an ease of accessibility that simply cannot be matched.
“Acacia Park is so nice and central, and close to the freeway. There are also 3 different routes to Durban, which means we never get traffic – no matter what time of day. I would advise all businesses to move here!” comments Trevor from Yellow Broken Window.
The managing agents of Acacia Park, Amber Dawn, were responsible for the development of the whole of Imbonini Park, including Acacia Park. As a result of having been involved in this property ‘from the ground up’, Amber Dawn have an unrivalled understanding of Acacia Park and are able to meet its property management requirements with unique insight and insider knowledge.
This understanding is reflected in the quality of service offered by Amber Dawn as managing agents to owners and tenants, which is always “excellent”, according to well pleased property owner, Richard Askew.
He goes on to say: “I would recommend Ed Peen and his team to anyone. It has been a pleasure doing business with [Amber Dawn]”.
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