A new logistics park will be built in Durban as part of the R15-billion new city, Westown, in Shongweni in the Outer West region of the city.
The developers, Fundamentum Property Group, broke ground for the first 100-hectare
phase of the 2 000-hectare catalytic Shongweni Urban Development on Thursday. The urban mixed-use development aims to create a new economic hub in eThekwini’s Outer West area to catalyse further investment, stimulate job creation, and attract services closer to communities.
The development of Westown itself will begin in September with the construction of the R1.3bn Westown Square, the 45 000-square-metre retail heart of the development. This will be in tandem with the road upgrade and the remaining infrastructural components including water, wastewater, and access roads. The first phase of the development includes a total of between 3 000 and 3 500 housing units, with a total of 20 000 units in the next phases over a 15-year period.
Fundamentum project and planning manager Rory Wilkinson said the development of a new industrial logistics hub with warehousing and floor space of 100 000sqm would form part of the first phase of the development. The hub, which is located just 30km from the Durban port, will have direct access to the N3.
“There is no shortage of demand from end users for logistics space, and the new hub will give them direct access to the N3. It’s literally a hop and a skip from the Durban port,” he said.
Major upgrades to linking roads, including Kassier Road, which will become a two-lane road in both directions, similar to the improvements to Inanda Road and Umhlanga Rocks Drive, will be completed to accommodate the increased traffic. A new pedestrian bridge will be constructed over the N3, and the R103 to Alverstone will be upgraded during the second phase of the development.
Phase one will start with work on the upgrading of Kassier Road this month, followed by the start of infrastructure development and construction of the retail precinct in September. The development is expected to be completed in 2024.
