Projects
Lerato Park Integrated Housing Development Project
Challenge
Despite Section 26 of the South African Constitution declaring that everyone has a right to access adequate housing, for the majority of South Africans owning a home remains an unattainable dream. Adequate housing is defined by the United Nations as ‘adequate privacy, adequate space, adequate security, adequate lighting and ventilation, adequate basic infrastructure and adequate location – all at a reasonable cost. However, the high cost of land, rising interest rates, growing inflation and rising unemployment figures make it almost impossible for roughly two thirds of the South African population to afford even the most basic of homes. According to a General Household Survey published by Statistics SA, less than half of the population in South Africa owns a home.
The housing challenge also extends to South Africa’s largest province, the Northern Cape, taking up almost a third of the country’s total land area. Although also the most sparsely populated province, informal dwellings have mushroomed due to housing shortages especially in the areas surrounding its capital, Kimberley.
Solution
Bigen has been appointed as engineers, project managers and development managers on the Lerato Park Integrated Housing Development Project in Kimberley, Northern Cape. This project will provide the same level of municipal services for all people residing in Lerato Park based on the integrated housing development principles, construct subsidised housing units, social housing units (Community Rental Units – CRU’s) and negotiate the sale of the land for the bonded stands and other non-residential stands (serviced or un-serviced) on behalf of the Northern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA). The Lerato Park Integrated Housing project is a National Priority Project aiming to achieve a development approach that provides for the integration of:
- Higher level of services than typical of subsidised RDP townships;
- Mixed income residential environment;
- Rich choice of housing modalities;
- Various tenure options;
- Quality built environment;
- Economic opportunities;
- Provision of full range of transport and social facilities; and
- Delivered in one seamless development process.
The Project is located within the jurisdiction area of the Sol Plaatje Municipality (“SPM”) planned to deliver approximately 4 654 subsidised, institutional and bonded units, subject to the availability of funding by the various funding sources for the Project. COGHSTA is the developer and the SPM is the land owner. The land was made available by the SPM to COGHSTA for the development of the project by means of a Land Availability Agreement.
Services
- Engineering consulting
- Project Managers
- Development Managers
SED Impact
- Local economic development
- Enterprise and supplier development
- Skills development & training with 81 people trained and mentored
- Improved quality of life
- Improved municipal infrastructure and subsidized housing
- Job creation with 1188 local direct jobs created, 135 local sub-contractors appointed and R29,7 million spent on SMME’s
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