Buffalo City Council approved a private bid, reportedly worth more than R600 million, to buy land at Marina Glen where a hotel, luxury apartments and shops may now be built.
Hours earlier, architects, town planners and consultants presented the final draft plan to revamp the beachfront on behalf of the municipality's development arm, the Buffalo City Development Agency (BCDA), to developers and the public for comment.
The development framework, which includes the Marina Glen project, describes local government's vision for growth in the area between the Esplanade and East London's main road, the R72.
The scheme is four-pronged. Included in the final phase is a plan to replace the black rocks on East London's Esplanade and build a pier and yacht harbour that will jut out to sea.
"These are some extreme scenarios just in case things go extremely well," said Jonathan Manning, an architect from Johannesburg who has consulted on the plan.
The draft version of the entire plan will now go before the BCDA's board and council for approval.
Louis Roodt, a city planner from Buffalo City Municipality, described the Marina Glen development as "the catalyst" to many of the concepts envisioned being realised.
"This is because developers all want to see something happen before putting their money into an area," he said.
Another critical aspect is whether Propnet, a subsidiary of Transnet, agrees to sell land surrounding the train station to Buffalo City.
The municipality has already rezoned this central property and drawn up a plan to reroute the R72 through it to improve traffic flow in and out of the central business district.
The new plan supports the University of Fort Hare's ambitions to develop a vibrant campus in East London.
The municipality proposes closing off the section of Oxford Street from the circle to the sea to create a pedestrian zone that will become a hub of university activity.
To increase student accommodation there would be a "student village" of flats. The buildings could also be leased as holiday accommodation, said consultant Kreason Naidoo.
Large projects like the student village would require private funding and, as such, the plan is a blueprint to guide investors who are interested in the area.
Kreason said the creation of artificial beaches was dependent on the project to deepen East London's port to accommodate larger ships.
He explained that sand and silt dredged up from the port would be moved to the rocky beachfront to "reclaim" land and create an artificial beach.
This dredging project would be part of the city's bid to persuade national government and Transnet to spend R5 billion upgrading the port.
Should this go ahead, East London's yacht harbour would have to be moved from its current spot within the port to a possible beachfront location.
The ambitious plans, which cost the BCDA an estimated R1 million, are not limited to flashy projects for the rich. Included is a scheme to bring affordable housing closer to the city centre.
Parts of the vacant Propnet land near the station have been earmarked for affordable apartments for households earning between R2500 and R7500 a month.
Manning said the idea is based on a successful project in Johannesburg's Newtown precinct
"That project saw a huge number of small businesses open nearby after all, these residents need to buy bread and milk every day."
Another factor in the bigger development scheme are the heritage restrictions which are often encountered in construction projects in the old suburb of the Quigney.
Kreason said the BCDA should recruit a heritage consultant to identify buildings that needed protection.
Daily Dispatch
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
