ISAAC MAHLANGU

04 September 2005

THE Bruma Lake area is set to benefit from a R90-million development plan, which aims to turn it into the gateway to the city of Joburg.

The Joburg Property Company (JPC) has drawn up plans for three distinct hubs — residential, commercial and cultural — that could take off as early as next year.

A preliminary plan, drawn up by the JPC, details developments for three separate pieces of available land in the area. However, a final report will only be presented to the Joburg Council for approval once all stakeholders have been consulted.

In terms of the preliminary plan, the JPC hopes to make use of about 140000m² of land for the three developments.

One part of the plan involves creating a medium and high-density residential area between Oppenheimer Avenue and the Jukskei River. This area would become known as Settler’s View.

The second part of the plan is to turn a portion of land between the R21 and Eastgate Mall into an entertainment, tourism and commercial hub. Once approved, this area, to be referred to as Settler’s Park, would feature a pavilion that could become a posh new flea market.

The last part of the plan is to use land south of Marcia Street, north of Bruma, for a cultural centre to become known as Gateway Park.

The JPC’s assistant project manager, Tembakazi Vanqa, said the development plan was instigated by local ward councilor Carol Milner.

She said the area’s location, in close proximity to Johannesburg International Airport, the Bruma Flea Market and Eastgate Mall, offered huge potential for investment as it attracted crowds.

"This area is a destination for tourists but it has not been developed to its full potential," Vanqa said.

The Settler’s View precinct is currently used as an informal taxi rank and a parking lot for the existing Bruma Flea Market.

The Settler’s Park precinct is occupied by a statue of a settler on vacant land next to Eastgate Mall.

Milner said this week: "We are delighted to finally start working on the precinct plan."

Milner said requests for the disposal of council-owned land for the upgrade of the area had been submitted for several years.

She added that it finally looked like the area would become the true gateway to the city of Joburg.

Valda Gossmann, a member of the Bruma Community Forum, said the preliminary plan "looks good" but added that the community would need all the relevant information to make a proper assessment of the proposal.

Gossmann said the Bruma community would not stand in the way of development, but it was essential that residents and businesses in the area had an opportunity to make a contribution to how the area is developed.

Vanqa said preparations for a public-participation process were under way. She said all parties would be consulted, as this was necessary to obtain enough support for the development. Once this process was completed, the JPC would draw up its final plan for submission to the council.

Vanqa said that if the project was approved by council, tenders for the various developments would go out for public tender.