The City of Johannesburg is calling for proposals from the public to develop part of Huddle Park Golf Course east of Johannesburg into a mixed-use facility, in an effort to inject investment into the area.

According to the City of Johannesburg, interested parties can submit detailed development proposals to either lease or purchase the golf course at the Metro Centre Information Desk, Braamfontein, by no later than 10am on November 12, 2004.

A compulsory briefing session will be held at the Metro Centre on October 4, 2004 at Committee Room A at 9am.

The City has earmarked the golf course for office, retail, residential and entertainment facility development. Developers, however, have the option to come up with "innovative" developments since the "suggested land uses are not a prescription".

A steering committee headed by Amanda Nair, the City's development planning, transportation and environment department executive director, has been set up to oversee the project.

Huddle Park, also known as Bedford farm, has been lying under-utilised and in a state of disrepair for years. At present, the golf course is under a 15-year lease to the Linksfield Golf Development Company, which is responsible for maintenance. Due to financial constraints, the company is limiting its attention to only one of the three golf courses on the site.

Huddle Park is one of the largest remaining open spaces within Johannesburg and covers an area of 235,489 hectares. In recognition of the Metropolitan Open Space System, a plan that ensures that the city's open spaces are not only conserved and maintained but also used for recreational pursuits, one of the golf courses will be upgraded for public use and the other will operate as a speciality course, "a unique asset for the City and attraction for golf tourists".

The City says it reserves the right to withdraw any proposal at its own discretion and has the right not to accept any proposal. No late applications will be considered.

Application documents are available in Room 15016, 15th floor Metro Centre, 158 Loveday Street, Braamfontein. A non-refundable deposit of R5,000 per document is payable and documents can be collected from 20 September, 2004.

For further information, contact Musa Jack, Director: Strategic Support in the City's Department of Development Planning, Transportation and Environment on 011 407 7330.

Johannesburg News Agency 22 Sep 2004