Ballito Junction developers, Flanagan & Gerard and Menlyn Maine, say the expanded mall will not put any additional pressure on Ballito’s water and electricity infrastructure.
Flanagan & Gerard executive director, Patrick Flanagan said the substation near the Fish Factory (the western edge of the CBD) will be upgraded and a new reservoir will go out to tender by the end of 2015. The developers will also lay additional piping from the reservoir to the mall at their own cost.
The mall developers are working closely with the KwaDukuza municipality to achieve the necessary services upgrades and have agreed to cover the bulk of the cost.
Once upgraded, the substation will not only be linked to a mini substation inside the mall building but also generate an extra five MVA of electricity to add to KDM’s electricity grid. One MVA is enough to power 10 000 square metres of commercial development.
“We are contributing more to the upgrade of services in Ballito than we are legally obligated to do,” said Flanagan.
Developers have also designed the mall roof with the capacity to carry solar generators, to be added later, should it become necessary.
Sembcorp Siza Water CEO Shyam Misra confirmed that a new reservoir to supply the Junction had been factored into their water plan. It is to be built near Wakenshaw Estate on the N2.
“We are in the preliminary phase of planning a reservoir of at least two million litres capacity, with an accompanying water pump station as well as a link water network. As the supply zone of the reservoir expands we will be able to expand the reservoir to have at least five million litres of storage.”
Flanagan said the new two lane ring road running around the eastern side of the mall could later be expanded to four lanes and will open up access to Ballito Hills (between the mall and Simbithi) where Absa Bank has development rights for 2 200 residential homes.
He added that the new intersection at Wakenshaw Road will be 300 metres wide and completely separate Wakenshaw and mall traffic, averting a situation where residents have to drive through mall traffic to get home.
“Delivery vehicles will be segregated from customer cars by being directed along a different route to a separate service entrance to the services area inside the building,” said Flanagan.
Flanagan said they have also planned for direct pedestrian access ways from the P445 to the mall and are heavily invested in getting the new taxi rank behind the Shell garage up and running as quickly as possible.
Menlyn Maine director, Carl Jankowitz said the developers have gone to great lengths to reduce the mall’s environmental footprint by consulting with environmentalists on how to redirect any flows from the mall that may be harmful to the swamp forest next to Simbithi.
Recycling of waste will also be a very high priority once the mall opens.
“A mall of this size generates about 50 tons of waste per year and recycling is a priority for us,” said Jankowitz.
Local entrepreneurs and private business owners attended the mall expansion launch on Thursday, September 11 at Collisheen Estate, where details about the mall were presented to prospective tenants.
Flanagan later said about 80 percent of the available space in the new 65 000 sq.m. mall had been let.
The mall has space for about 130 stores. Existing anchors Pick ‘n Pay and Dis-Chem will be joined by Woolworths, Edgars and Game.
It will feature a dedicated family entertainment level, with an eight-screen Nu Metro Cinema including Xtreme and VIP cinemas.
Prospective tenants were given an opportunity to engage with developers at categorised letting stations (including pampering and beauty), tailored to meet their specific needs and field detailed questions.
Flanagan said in his presentation that beauty and pampering was the fastest growing sector in retail and they were excited to incorporate that slice of the growing pie into the new Ballito Junction.
