Station Drive precinct needs further development, say stakeholders
The Design Factory is currently 100 per cent occupied by creatives and has encouraged growth of other businesses in the precinct.
THE revival of the Station Drive Precinct was the topic of discussion at a stakeholders’ meeting at The Design Factory last week.
The meeting was hosted by Durban Property Managers (Pty) Ltd. (DPM), an independent property management organisation which focuses on community upliftment, and was attended by business owners in the precinct as well as City officials and the deputy mayor, Fawzia Peer.
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The Design Factory in the Station Drive Precinct has been an ongoing project of DPM and is a key component of Durban’s urban regeneration projects.
“DPM brought about transformation of what was once inner city decay. The Design Factory has become the anchor in the revamped precinct, now a far cry from the neglected light industrial area it was previously.”
“The landlord in conjunction with their creative and aesthetic project management team was inspired to develop this type of project locally after seeing defined art precincts in Johannesburg and Cape Town. We felt the creative arts was neglected in Durban and decided to create an artistic hub in the building,” said Mohamed Omar from DPM.
He said the company felt the upliftment in Station Drive was much needed and this was embraced by many stakeholders including the eThekwini Municipality and iTrump Departments.
The entire area has now been transformed and revitalised by its presence, allowing the historical light industrial area to become so much more than just another collection of old buildings.
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The Design Factory is currently 100 per cent occupied by creatives and has encouraged growth of other businesses in the precinct.
Speaking at the meeting, Omar said DPM had concerns which he felt needed to be addressed by the municipality and other departments such as Metro Police.
“Serious concerns have been raised after the re-vamp of The Design Factory.”
“The regeneration of the Station Drive Precinct includes the upgrade of the vicinity, which DPM seeks to facilitate through the support of local government, the local police and the tenants alike. The landlords have begun actively engaging in redevelopment discussions with key players and aim to begin a turnaround of the issues faced in the precinct,” he said.
He said the major issues which needed to be urgently attended to by relevant departments, included parking, security, general maintenance, sustainability of the hub, redevelopment of the area and economic development.
“Should these issues not be addressed soon there is a possibility that the Precinct could become another statistic in urban decay,” he said.
He said the company believed that the rectification of these issues may aid in developing sustainable economic growth and create a catalyst for further development of the precinct, as well as the inner city.
“We believe that the departments such as eThekwini Department of Economic Development, iTrump, PRASA, SAPS, ETA, Metro Police, eThekwini department of Urban Renewal and the Department of Trade and Investment may collectively address the issues faced in Station Drive,” he said.
The DPM then conducted a tour of the building to show stakeholders and municipal officials what was being done at The Design Factory. The deputy mayor was impressed by the development and addressed the meeting about how the municipality could work with the company to ensure this project was sustained.
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