Beaufort West, a traditional stop for road traffic between the Reef and Western Cape, has been targeted by a Cape Town property company as the site for a commercial shopping centre.

The aim is to provide new retail outlets in the isolated Karoo community for two or three of the country's biggest traders.

Architects Smuts and Boyes have proposed plans for the development at the corner of Donkin and Kerk streets in the middle of the town.

Alyce Collins of Collins Commercial Properties emphasised that the designers had been particularly sensitive in their treatment of the site.

They had retained the traditional double-storey Victorian building on the corner and have been careful to ensure that the design of the new addition to accommodate a national chain supermarket will blend comfortably with the old, she said.

The picturesque existing building will be allocated to smaller retail units on the ground floor, and the overnight travellers accommodation on the upper floor has been secured by a Cape Town boutique hotel operator.

Two national traders were in the process of concluding leases for more than 1 000 m2 of new space, Collins said.

The site would also incorporate adequate parking.

She said that for some time her company had been earmarking country towns where it felt the local community was large enough to benefit from having one or two national traders, not only for the scope and variety these stores offer but also for their influence on competitive pricing.

"Beaufort West was the first such town we identified and we also have plans for two others."

Collins said that the policy would be to offer a significant portion of these developments to selected local traders, particularly those who will help deliver the concept of a traditional trading node, balanced with the efficiency of the national traders.

Construction the Beaufort West complex will commence once all town planning requirements have been finalised with the local authority, she said, adding that she hoped to employ the services of builders in the area.

 Contact Alyce Collins on 021 422 2209.