The new owners plan to redevelop the site at a cost of some R200 million.

The redeveloped centre will be over two levels and will utilise the fall across the site to offer ground floor shopping at the Rivonia Road level and ground floor shopping off Waggon Street to the west of the site. The two levels will be linked by lifts and escalators in a naturally lit central atrium.

Adequate open and covered parking will be provided. The plans of the new centre will be available shortly.

The substantially larger redeveloped two-level Morningside Shopping Centre, will focus on providing convenient quality lifestyle retail to the immediate trade area.

Patrick Flanagan of Flanagan & Gerard comments: “Our research has indicated that the current Morningside Shopping Centre, which was developed many years ago and which has undergone little change in that time, plays an important role in the community. At the same time it is not providing the community with its daily needs and it is this gap that we intend filling.”

“To this end we are engaging the current tenants to assess who will form part of the newly developed centre. We certainly wish to continue serving the community with elements with which they are already accustomed and to broaden the offering. We are planning a tenant mix to be led by a niche food store, and to encompass inter alia, speciality food stores, services such as banks, hairdressers, health and beauty specialists, book and music stores, speciality coffee shops and patisseries, restaurants and fast food stores and speciality traders that will add to the offering to cater for needs of the community. Our emphasis will be on personally run businesses rather than brands and franchises. We have also taken the decision not to accommodate the BP service station that is currently trading from the site,” says Flanagan

The new owners, in conjunction with the JRA, will be improving the roads in the immediate area, such improvements are to include inter alia, the rationalising of access and egress to and from the site and the signalisation of the Outspan Road / West Road intersection. Furthermore Morningside Shopping Centre will place an emphasis on indigenous landscaping and the aesthetic ‘greening’ of the site.

“This acquisition is in line with our strategy of growing our portfolio with well-located office and retail properties. Developing and refurbishing for our own portfolio ensures high quality, upmarket investments such us Paarl Mall, Cadbury’s head office, Ericsson’s and 3M in Woodmead,” says Chris Fleming of Grapnel.

Flanagan & Gerard are investors in  properties such as Vaal Mall, Paarl Mall, Lakeside Mall in Benoni and the recently opened  Highveld Mall in eMalahleni (Witbank).