27 MAART
The entrance to the Hageland development on Sir Lowry’s Pass Road.
SIR LOWRY’S PASS ROAD:LIFESTYLE DEVELOPMENTS PLANNED
Property sales gain momentum
DALEEN FOUCHÉ
The rural setting of Sir Lowry’s Pass Road is rapidly changing as the many lifestyle developments along and around the road gain momentum. Westacre Property Group developer, Okkie Potgieter, says that besides the old AECI grounds, this part of the Helderberg is the only land left to develop. Potgieter bought a 101 ha farm on Sir Lowry’s Pass Road about eight years ago and subdivided and rezoned the farm for mostly lifestyle developments. The Somerset, a lifestyle and retirement village, is Westacre’s biggest development in this area, with more than 390 houses and various amenities like the R12,8 million clubhouse. Potgieter says construction of the clubhouse is set to be completed by the end of 2014. The houses, however, are being developed as demand grows. The property next to The Somerset has been rezoned for retail use
and sold off to Shoprite Property Holdings. A spokesperson for Shoprite and Checkers has confirmed to the DistrictMail that a new Checkers is planned for Somerset West. According to Potgieter, this planned retail node will be a welcome addition to the mix of developments in the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road area. Beechwood and Rosewood are two Westacre developments adjacent to The Somerset. They will consist of about 5ha,with between 60 and 80 houses. Brian Mathews, development specialist with Harcourts in Somerset West, is marketing four developments in the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road area for Residential Estate Dennegeur (Pty) Ltd (RED). He says although property in these security villages has been in the market for a long time, sales of these properties are only now gaining momentum. He says when Harcourts was appointed to market the properties, they redesigned the proposals. Three of these developments are sold on a keyturn basis, as apposed
to a “plot and plan” basis, says Mathews. He explains that with a “plot and plan” the buyer buys a plot and building plan and has to build his own home, but with the keyturn plan, the developers build at their cost and risk once the property has been sold. Mathews says the Bluecrane Estate, which will consist of 30 houses, and Silverfox Estate with 60 houses, are selling well. More than 56% have already sold in just under 18 months. Sea View Lake is situated behind Bizweni Road and will consist of 21 houses, while Hageland will consist of about 70 houses with 30% already built. The Summer Club is another popular development in the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road area. All 114 units of the first phase were sold out within six weeks. Over 19 phases are planned for this development, which entails various land uses to accommodate a multi-faceted lifestyle. A total of 1,115 residential units will be built, with the second phase to be launched in April
A digital representation of The Somerset, a lifestyle and retirement village. The consortium behind this development is made up of Investec, Omnicron and Wiehahn Properties, a national property investment and development company
The City of Cape Town confirms that there is a plan to upgrade Old Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, though a time frame has not yet been finalised.