The star Online
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
JDA is going full steam ahead and has already made numerous improvements
November 21, 2006 Edition 1
Anna Cox
Joburg is making great strides towards 2010. So says Lael Bethlehem, chief executive of the Johannesburg Development Agency.
Funding will be a deciding factor in how much gets done for the inner city's revitalisation. The JDA wants to make the most of what the CBD has to offer by cleaning up the area and improving its facilities.
Plans for the revitalisation of the Greater Ellis Park area have been drawn up and will be submitted to the City of Joburg's mayoral committee early next year.
"We have an ambitious plan to regenerate the area, but everything depends on funding. Some basic work has already started on the new gateway to the Ellis Park area which is on the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Joe Slovo Drive.
"We have started with the cleaning of the underbelly of the bridges, which had years of grime and old posters on it. We have improved lighting and installed mosaics and street furniture. We are also working with the department of transport with regard to widening roads to make the area more accessible," she said.
The area has great potential for housing and manufacturing.
"It has good infrastructure, schools, public open spaces and big stands which could lead to increased densities. There is a huge amount of wasted land. The manufacturing area is also ideally located close to the CBD," she said.
There are, however, certain problems such as the fact than many of the buildings are heritage buildings that cannot be demolished. Another problem is that many properties have huge arrears.
"At our recent investors' conference in August we invited property developers to submit proposals and we are awaiting these. The JDA cannot do this alone - we need help from the private sector," she said.
The JDA has also started work at Nasrec with the upgrading of roads, pavements and public lighting.
"We also intend establishing new transport facilities in the area. The Expo Centre will be a key facility. We also are looking at a new railway link to the New Canada Station."
The inner city will be receiving a lot of attention from the JDA over the next few years.
Bethlehem said the city should not be considered as one area as it stretches 18sq km and is divided into precincts with the Carlton Centre as mid-point.
West of the Carlton, the city has consolidated its plans successfully with the establishment of the financial district which includes the new Main Street Mall, the proposed Gauteng government precinct, Newtown and the Fashion District. Many investors are coming in and renovating properties in the lower-, middle- and upper-income sectors. Examples of these are 66 Small Street, a former office block which caters for the lower end of the market and The Franklin, where penthouse apartments are selling at close to R30-million.
The north-south corridor, which includes Park Station, Jeppe, Plein and Noord streets, also needs attention and this will be done by turning Park Station, which will also be a Gautrain station, into a transport hub and shopping centre, she said.