The latest offering at Melrose Arch includes shopping space, hotels,and offices all centered on the three-phase Melrose Arch Piazza, a dynamic fusion of street-level shopping and upper-level offices, inspired by international shopping streets such as Regent Street in London, Grafton Street in Dublin and squares such as the Piazza del Campo in Sienna. The Taj Johannesburg will neighbour the Melrose Arch Piazza.

Renowned for creating new and cutting-edge spaces, Melrose Arch is owned by Southern Palace, a Property Partners and Amdec Property Developments joint venture. Amdec is also the appointed development manager for Melrose Arch, driving the roll out of all development projects on the prestigious destination. The Piazza is funded by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance.

In addition to the common sense commercial advantages, there are also a number of other benefits – all of which are highly pertinent for today’s lifestyle. 

Planned around outdoor traditional ‘liveable’, ‘walkable’ high street principles, the mixed-use, new urban environment is ‘green’ by its nature, providing energy efficiencies and powerful environmental advantages.

The surrounding urban fabric has not been discounted and substantial road traffic management initiatives are already in place with further aspects still to be introduced, including additional access points along Athol-Oaklands road and links with the future Gautrain stations. Stormwater attenuation investment is in the form of off-site upstream plans to be implemented by Joburg Water, and the upgrading of a park within the nearby Melrose Bird Sanctuary, utilising the substantial fill from the development works, are cited as a community-building successes.

“The Melrose Arch international ‘high-street’ style of living reduces petrol and diesel consumption as well as pollution and is also able to leverage off bulk infrastructure, which means the buildings themselves, and not only the people who live in them, consume less energy, with the related environmental benefits,” explains Stopforth.

He adds that it also offers important health and social benefits such as reducing time and stress of driving and providing a safe environment. By 2012, when all phases of the precinct are scheduled for completion, it is estimated that more than 22,000 people will live and work in the precinct. Total anticipated development is 315, 000m²

“The vision for Melrose Arch of commercial, retail and residential space in a single precinct has proved farsighted, resulting in its unprecedented appeal,” says Stopforth.