New Eden Meander centre ‘will complement mall‘ – developers

Cathy Dippnall GARDEN ROUTE CORRESPONDENT

THE proposed Eden Meander business centre would complement the nearby Garden Route Mall in George with large-scale premises for national retailers, the developers said.

Shareholders Loot Steyn and Fahdiel Manuel were responding to criticism from the George business community that the Meander would kill business in the central business district.

“Most of the clients in the retail development will be ‘box‘ clients – major national retailers who require trading areas larger than 1500m². Unfortunately, there has been a misconception in the local newspapers that we want to draw existing businesses away from the CBD,” Steyn said.

He said national retailers required synergy with nearby malls and shopping precincts, as well as sufficient parking space.

Quality office and retail space was limited in the CBD. “For every 100m² of retail space, there must be six parking bays. A retailer occupying 2000m² would need 120 parking bays. This is already impossible to find in the CBD,” Steyn said.

George Business Chamber manager Colleen Till said a number of landlords in town were unhappy because their buildings were empty.

“Their reaction is: ‘Why build more retail and office space if existing buildings are standing empty, as this development could kill the CBD?‘”

However, property developer and CBD business owner Edmund Coetzee said the business sector was to blame for the degeneration of the town centre.

“The CBD is a filthy mess. The buildings are run down and neglected. No wonder it is declining and people are running away.”

The 60000m² Eden Meander development is proposed on land at Blue Mountain Village, next to the Garden Route Mall and adjacent to the proposed multi-purpose development Destiny Africa.

Manuel said the Eden Meander development would bring together the CBD on one side and Thembalethu and Destiny Africa on the other, uniting old and new developed areas in a new synergy.