The 630-home project, Capricorn Beach, will cover 16ha between Capricorn Technology Park and Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town, and will have half a kilometre of sea frontage.

Shearwater Homes CEO Phil Flockton says the plan provides for a shopping centre, a small medical office complex and a service station. It will offer units with two to four bedrooms, with prices ranging from R160000 to R400000.

Work on the site will begin late next month and first occupation is likely to take place later this year, says Flockton.

Environmental controls on the site, which has a flourishing dune ecology, will have to be exceptionally strict, he says.

A horticulturist is carrying out a survey of the dune vegetation, some of which will be out of bounds to residents. A new fully planted primary dune will be developed on a section of the beachfront. A nursery will be set up on site to add to existing vegetation.