By Katherine Wilkinson
The sale of the Brenton-on-Sea hotel site in Knysna has been concluded at a total purchase price of R15-million, clearing the way for the construction of a new hotel on the site ravaged by fire in 2004.
The purchase price includes a R1-million agent‘s commission.
Willie van Heerden, of Bloemfontein-based property firm Dynarc, tendered the final bid of R14-million at an auction at the Pezula Resort in Knysna earlier this month after a tense showdown with a rival buyer.
At the time, auctioneers Alliance Group said the sale was not confirmed and subject to a seven-day period in which liquidator Berrange Inc could choose to accept or decline the offer.
The Alliance Group‘s Ish Hendricks said on Monday the full purchase price, including commission, was R15-million.
Berrange Inc, the liquidator of Ocean Estates International which previously owned the site, had formally accepted the offer.
The marketing campaign for the property attracted interest nationally and from the United Kingdom and Dubai, with further proxy bidding via telephone during the auction.
The site made local news headlines when the hotel built on it burnt to the ground in 2004.
The controversial development proposals put forward by Ocean Estates International, which bought the property in 2003 for R13-million, were met with much opposition by residents and local authorities, who felt it was unsuitable due to the massive bulk and size of the planned construction.
Van Heerden indicated that the hotel he planned to build on the site would be more in line with the former Beachfront Hotel.
The 9 189m² site falls within the Western Heads-Goukamma Conservancy, which received official recognition on May 13.
Van Heerden is also involved in the Silky Oaks Golf and Country Estate near the Tsitsikamma National Park between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth.
Source: The Herald
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
