A willingness to listen carefully to all objections to the “Rondebosch Oval” residential development, to adapt its plans in accordance with these objections and to make massive concessions has, says Paul Henry, Managing Director of Rawson Developers, ensured that the plans for the development can now be submitted to the City Council for approval in the sure knowledge that all concerned and affected parties are now satisfied that the development will be beneficial in every way to the neighbourhood.
Among those with whom Rawson liaised have been the Rondebosch Central Improvement District, the local ratepayers association and the local ward councilor, Mr Matthew Kempthorne. “Rondebosch Oval”, it is now proposed, will comprise 41 free standing homes in the ground of the 30,000m² Marist Sports Club site. “These units will be sold for ± R2, 9 million each, making this a very affordable and desirable security development,” says Henry. The original proposal was for 75 (less expensive) units, but this was considered by the local residents to be over bulking the site and that scheme was accordingly dropped.
In the new development, architect Gordon Hart has designed the units to have three or four bedrooms, open plan living and dining areas, view patios, balconies and garages. The floor areas, including the patios, will cover 200 m2, which is large by today’s standards. Henry has given his assurance that the finishes and fixtures will be upmarket and will include granite and Caesar stone countertops, porcelain tiles and laminated wood flooring,as well as,subtle down lighting and aluminium framing to the windows and glazed doors.
The homes, Henry has promised, will be warm and light-filled as they will all be north facing. They will cluster around some two-thirds of the cricket field’s perimeter and their occupants will enjoy views,not only of the field,but also of Devils Peak or the Maritz Club’s bowling green and pavilion.
A factor which had been a big help from the start, said Henry, was that the club itself was,from the early stage,highly supportive of such a development. This, he said, was because over the last decade they had witnessed a decline in memberships and they badly needed an injection of capital and a greatly upgraded clubhouse. All of this, he said, was made possible by the current agreement.
Rawson Developer’s package deal now, therefore, includes such socially beneficial ‘extras’ as the building of a new, greatly upgraded, clubhouse with offices, a lounge and a communal patio,as well as,a swimming pool. Rawson Developers have also undertaken to reinstate the bowling green (which has been out of use for some time) and to landscape the entire site with indigenous vegetation similar to that which has proved so attractive at Rondebosch Oaks.
Recent meetings and negotiations have also resulted in the Department of Public Works agreeing to cede the field adjoining the Marist ground to the Rosebank Junior School – at no cost – and Rawson Developers will upgrade it using their own funds. The upgrade will include the changing rooms and a pavilion. In addition, Rawson Developers have undertaken to construct a traffic circle at the intersection of Park and Croft Roads, the benefit of which will be that it will alleviate traffic congestion.
“Those who are inclined to believe that developers are entirely motivated by profit and gain will probably revise their ideas if they examine how thoroughly Rawson Developers have adapted to the vast majority of proposals and objections,” said Henry, “and I would like to add that this co-operative spirit is, I believe, seen in almost all our operations.”
Trevor Weston-Green, Rawson Developers Marketing Manager, who was the first person to identify this site some four and a half years ago and bring the negotiating parties together, has commented that Rawson Developers are fortunate to have got this far with the development because, despite Rondebosch being so universally popular with the buying public, land for development here is very scarce indeed.
“Rawson Developers were, I believe, the only residential developers who anticipated how strong the need for sectional title units would be in the Rondebosch area and who moved early enough to secure some very good sites here. As a result, the company has been able to sell 500 units at Rondebosch Oaks, The Rondeboch and Rivers Edge in under 36 months. No other Cape Town sites have proved quite so popular and fast selling.”
Henry’s final comment on the lengthy negotiations which has got the development to its present state was that it was “exhausting and expensive” but, he added, “the good news is that this project is coming to the market at a time when not only is demand for such units very high but there are also signs that investor confidence in property is rising and the banks are becoming more amenable to issuing bonds”.
Henry said he was unable at this stage to predict when the project would get the final go-ahead (if it does), but this would probably not be before the end of 2012.
