ROSEBANK’s skyline is set to change as the development framework for the area will accommodate the development of buildings of up to 30 storeys — no building is now taller than six storeys.

The area which will be most affected by this framework will be between Rosebank and Sandton along Oxford road.

Rosebank has been undergoing a vast amount of redevelopment and restructuring in the past few years.

A development framework was set up last year to redevelop the area into a balanced mixed use precinct.

What Rosebank lacks that other precincts such as Sandton might not, is that its residential component is not as well developed.

With a Gautrain station being built, the area will attract a lot of business and therefore scope for high-density residential complexes will be possible.

David Green, MD of Pace Property Group, says up to now the highest building in the Rosebank area has been five to six storeys but in the future we may see the Rosebank skyline change as high-rise office, residential and hotels start sprouting around the suburb.

“Vertical and horizontal mixed-use is encouraged. Public space and retail facilities are limited to ground floors, while higher storeys are reserved for residential use,” says the department of development planning and urban management.

The development framework says that activity predominantly occurs within the Rosebank “box” defined by Bolton, Jan Smuts, Jellicoe and Oxford streets, with The Zone and Rosebank Mall being the main retail attractions.

However, studies show that the southwest corner of the precinct on the corner of Bolton and Jan Smuts is the best integrated space on a local movement level.

The establishment of the node within the suburb will be enhanced by the use of tall high rises to define the locality of the station as the centre of the node.

From proposals made concerning densification and increased pedestrian accessibility through the site, more local nodes and focal areas are created where landmark buildings are placed.

“Because of the importance of legibility of the area within the city skyline, the Rosebank box will make provision for a number of well-located stands on which development may rise to 20-30 storeys. These will be defined around the station entrance and will help to orientate movement towards it on both global and pedestrian scales.

“This collective of high rises will form a new landmark within the node,” says the framework.

As a comparison, the tallest building in Sandton is the Sandton Towers at 80 storeys high.

Green says the developments will increase property values within the urban development zone but will negatively affect property values around the edge of Rosebank.

He said that the framework has been modelled on international cities such as New York.

Source: Business Day