Durban tycoon Vivian Reddy’s proposed multimillion-rand shopping mall in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Newcastle is facing opposition from some local developers.

A row over the R450-million Century Mall prompted the Newcastle Municipality to convene a special meeting this week to discuss objections.

Town-planning director Kedebone Masange said the council was not happy with the nature of the developers’ objections and their behaviour.

“We will approve the mall, because these are trade objections and we don’t condone them,” Masange said.

But one of the developers, Jeanne Schraader, said they would continue to object to the proposed mall, scheduled to open in 2009.

The developers have accused Reddy of not meeting the requirements of the town’s Development Facilitation Act.

In a letter to the council last week, the developers claimed, among other things, that Reddy’s proposed development:

They further claimed that Reddy failed to show or prove the “need and desirability” of the development.

Schraader accused the council of refusing to give them a copy of Reddy’s rezoning application to submit to their consultants.

“The council’s attitude opens the door to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal, if they don’t give us the copy.”

But Masange said the public and interested parties were invited to inspect Reddy’s rezoning application.

“They don’t want to come and see the application. They want us to send them a copy, and we can’t do that without the applicant’s consent.”

Masange said the developers’ concerns were baseless and an attempt to jeopardise the construction of the new mall. “They are trying to buy time to ensure that they put their act together, because they also want to build a mall. We cannot allow a situation where the town can be held to ransom.”

The mall will adjoin Reddy’s new R100-million Century Casino Spa and Hotel and will be similar in style to the recently opened Maponya Mall in Soweto.

When it was announced in April, Reddy said it would be the largest in northern KwaZulu-Natal and would transform Newcastle into a glamorous and vibrant town.

Reddy said this week that he would not lose any sleep over the objections, as he had complied with all the requirements. “We’ve complied with every aspect and can’t understand why people are objecting. I think it’s for their own selfish ends. They don’t seem to want high-quality malls in Newcastle,” he said.

“Their objections are not going to hold any water. They are trade objections, and they don’t want any competition.”

He said construction was expected to begin in May next year, once it had been approved, and would take 18 months to complete.

It would comprise modern cinemas, big fashion retailers, food courts, and furniture and homeware stores.