CAPRICORN Business and Technology Park in Muizenberg is providing impetus to Western Cape industrial property sales and development with six new industrial deals and a growing retail aspect drawing top brand names to its site.

Steve Kruger, Capricorn's marketing manager, said the past year had seen some exciting developments and that a number of deals were in the pipeline. In the next month a German-based international company called KMP Printechniek will move into their new state-of-the-art building located on the lake.

The group have built a 2 000m2 factory and head office. They chose Capricorn because of the natural aesthetic beauty of the park and also because the park offers 24-hour security, and strict environmental and design controls. "Further sales were concluded with small entrepreneurs who are currently in the planning stages for the development of their own buildings," Kruger said.

"With the scarcity of commercial and industrial land in the South Peninsula, we are finding a major increase in our sales momentum. The price of land at Capricorn, which starts from R175 per m2, is extremely competitive, especially when the world-class infrastructure on offer is taken into account.

"It is fully fenced, ISO 14001 compliant with 24-hour security in a beautifully landscaped environment around a large lake; we have much to offer." Capricorn is currently in negotiations with an international academic institution which has identified Capricorn as ideal for a satellite campus.

They are finalising budgets and timing and are expected to confirm their intentions shortly. Other negotiations, which are at a sensitive stage, may result in a larger portion of the park being taken up by a single organisation. If this is successful it will bring much needed major economic activity to this area.

The level of activity and inquiries have increased substantially and the outlook for growth in this area in the short-term is excellent, Kruger said.