City starts bulk works for mega Empangeni human settlement

A 450-hectare plot in Empangeni, once earmarked for a lavish lifestyle estate, will soon be home to a mega human settlement project.

The development proposed will make available 8 049 RDP houses to low-income individuals, said the City of uMhlathuze Municipality’s City Development Portfolio Committee in its report to the borough’s executive committee.

Waterstone Country Estate was awarded the contract and has already completed the fieldwork to develop the site, situated between Qalakabusha Prison and Dover Combined School.

It has received strong backing by the MEC for KZN Department of Human Settlements (DoHS), Ravi Pillay, who has approved funding of R56-million for the installation of internal bulk works, including storm water, sewer reticulation and water reticulation, over the next two years.

This funding will start rolling in from next month and construction of a water pipeline linking the settlement to the Hilltop Reservoir is estimated to be completed by the end of June.

But the planning of the project has not been all smooth sailing.

Earlier this year, concerns were raised by the IA’s (Information Architecture) town planner requesting the size of each unit’s property (240 square meters) be halved, and to alter the design layout of the development.

There was also objection against the parcel of land identified for a proposed school for the community, because of its close proximity to Tronox KZN Sands.

The city also still needs funding for the water pipeline linking the development to the reservoir; provincial road tie-ins, and the shortfall in finance for electrical reticulation and bulk services where the DoHS funding is insufficient.

Nearly a decade ago, the plan was to build an upmarket Waterstone Lifestyle Estate on the property, which included a golf course surrounded by residential and retirement units.

Despite receiving environmental authorisation on 27 March 2009 and the green light from the KZN Development Facilitation Tribunal, the project was put on hold as the city experienced a decline in building activities and private developers ‘treaded cautiously’.

The DoHS then came up with the concept of an integrated human settlement development in partnership with the private sector in close proximity to the central business district, similar to Cornubia in Durban and Cosmo City in Gauteng.

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