THE beautiful and tranquil Japanese Gardens in Durban North are set for a major upgrade. This according to ward councillor, Shaun Ryley who spoke to the Northglen News last week.
The revamp, which will cost the eThekwini Municipality, an estimated R5.5-million rand, will be completed in nine months.
In addition to a general upgrade of the gardens, the entrance along Waterkant Road will be upgraded with a brand new gate as well as a brick wall to improve aesthetics for a wedding venue.
The current pre-cast fence, said Ryley, will be recycled and re-used to replace sections of the mesh fence along the park’s boundaries to bolster security.
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Brick roads will also be laid to ease access along core routes within the park, he said.
eThekwini Municipality’s Acting Head of Communications, Mandla Nsele said the near completed vow area – where a gzeebo has already been erected – would be complimented with a stairway leading to the new reception area.
The 30 metre by 15 metre wedding area will also include structured marquees for a reception area as well as separate ablutions facilities, added Nsele.
Additional parking bays and an upgrade of the current parking and lighting infrastructures will be upgraded to compliment the revamp.
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Councillor Ryley said the project is something that had been on the cards for several years.
“The Japanese Gardens is a popular park among the locals. Many have fond memories of the park from their childhood, so it is great to see the project finally coming to fruition following years of constant motivation and hard work,” he said.
In recent years a spate of armed robberies had earned the park a notorious reputation. Ryley said he hoped the upgrades would improve the safety at the facility and enable residents to ‘reclaim’ the park.
Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS confirmed that there had not been an incident reported since December last year.
Nsele confirmed that the development would start would start this week.
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