R800 million plan to turn Centurion into a '24-hour city'
The City of Tshwane has laid out plans to turn the Centurion CBD into a modern 24-hour city as part of its Spatial Development Framework.
Over the years the city has grown into an integral part of a larger multi-metropolitan region of Johannesburg, Midrand, and Pretoria. Due to this growth challenges such as traffic congestion, urban management (including regular flooding), and ad-hoc growth and development have emerged as well.
The city has said that these issues needed to be addressed for the node to function optimally.
“The purpose of the Centurion CBD Precinct Plan will be to guide future development and investment within the Centurion Precinct by recommending projects and partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of projects.
“By undertaking a good development planning process, it can be ensured that future developments will be integrated with existing developments to create a fully functional, liveable, and sustainable precinct,” the city said.
- Among the key developments being recommended in the plan are:
- The rehabilitation of the Hennops river and Centurion lake;
- The development of a pedestrian “pathway” bridge connecting main routes in the precinct;
- A new conference centre and hotel precinct next to Centurion Mall;
- Various road upgrades and new intersections along main routes;
- New campuses for tertiary institutions or colleges;
- New high-density residential blocks to be built in key areas (potential for 17,500 new dwelling units)
The adoption of a ’24 hour city’ model.
The precinct plan also includes priority projects with estimated pricing. The total value of estimates available comes to over R790 million. This encompasses some priority projects and not all the build and development costs. The city said that the estimates are broad guidelines and that each project would need its own detailed feasibility study and project costing.
The core focus of the plan is for a new precinct right next to Centurion Mall, which encompasses residential, business, medical and educational facilities. This precinct would then connect to another major route in the city through a pedestrian ‘gateway’ which is planned to be built across the river and lake.
The large open parking area on the southern end of the Centurion Mall adjacent to South Street is proposed to be developed with residential.
The inclusion of residential development within walking distance of public transport and the mall will benefit both these facilities and accommodate a population that could function without private vehicles. Parking could be accommodated at the basement level.
The city said that a 24-hour city model should be strived for, especially in the CBD. Mixed use with complementary land uses ensures that the area can be used by a diverse range of people at various times of day and night for various activities.
The proposed plan has received the necessary support from government departments and ward councillors affected, and the city will now embark on a public participation process.
