Developer Brian Wilson says they are intending to set a new benchmark in South African lifestyle developments.
"We believe that this estate will have no equal in SA, in terms of beauty, diversity and vastness."
Dunblane Estate will be a lifestyle retreat covering a vast area of mountainous terrain, including indigenous forest, 15 dams, approximately 20km of rivers and streams, waterfalls, and is set to take place in a minimum of three phases of development.
The 18-hole championship golf course is prolific golf course architect Peter Matkovich's latest undertaking. His enthusiasm for Dunblane is apparently largely due to the estate's license allowing unique positioning against the mountain escarpment.
Wilson says, "Our golf course development will cost between R45m and R50m and will be built over an 18 month period from next year to mid 2008. Our team recently attended the first African Golf Summit, at Fancourt Golf Estate, where golf tourism was identified as the most lucrative sports tourism - more so than soccer, rugby and tennis."
Dunblane Estate, about three hours from Johannesburg and Durban, will have 770 housing stands, a golf course, a trout estate, two hotels and a health spa/wellness clinic (with possible Medi-Clinic for "surgery safaris") and gymnasium. Plans have been approved for the club house, sports facilities and a retail complex. A modern equestrian facility will be linked to the development from the adjacent Grey Goose Farm Lodge.
"The estate will be game fenced and well stocked with zebra, black wildebeest, red hartebees, springbok, eland, blesbok, ostrich as well as the present indigenous game and small carnivores," says Wilson.
No fences, walls or gates are allowed and game will have right of way, between properties and over the entire estate.
When licenses were approved, mention was made by the tribunal head that Dunblane Estate is a significant development in terms of upliftment opportunities for the area, which has an unemployed population of half a million people.
Wilson says that potential investors should realise that the present D96 access road has already been identified as the main Berg Meander route and is to be upgraded to a double width gravel surface road.
It's not difficult to predict, with the size of this development, that it will be tarred within the next five years.
Infrastructure costs will be high due to the mountainside development.
Eskom costs are substantial, as the estate requires a new line, and internal reticulation will be subterranean as no overhead lines will be permitted.
"The cost of services to erven - lights, water, electricity, sewerage and road - will be approximate R120,000 a stand," says Wilson.
"We've taken huge risks but don't doubt that our high quality product will represent the gold standard in South African lifestyle estates. Break even is only after 400 sales!"
Bulldozers entered Dunblane Estate on May 25 and local surveyors will peg the estate out within the next two months. The golf course is set for launch in April next year.
Business Day
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
