Pretoria - The Tshwane Metro will host a public participation meeting tomorrow to draw input on its proposal to revamp the Centurion CBD and turn it into a modern 24-hour city as part of its Spatial Development Framework.
The R800 million project is seen as necessary for the node that has been experiencing other hurdles of developing cities such as traffic congestion and population growth.
Tshwane is seeking to eradicate such challenges and to make use of the open land to house the precinct that will guide future development and investment within Centurion by recommending projects and partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of projects.
The City believes that by undertaking a good development planning process, future developments can be integrated with existing developments to create a fully functional, liveable and sustainable precinct.
This development will include the rehabilitation of the Hennops River and Centurion Lake, the construction of a pedestrian “pathway” bridge connecting main routes in the precinct, as well as a conference centre and hotel next to Centurion Mall.
This will include 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 (there is potential for 17 500 new dwelling units), and the adoption of a ’24-hour city’ model.
The core focus of the plan is for a new precinct next to Centurion Mall which will encompass residential, business, medical and educational facilities.
This precinct would connect to another major route in the city through a pedestrian “gateway” across the river and lake. This would attract visitors to the area and ensure that the CBD gains prominence at a regional scale.
The development would have educational benefits as it would complement the existing Damelin and Centurion Academy facilities.
The location of the site and development potential could be ideal for the development of a small government precinct to consolidate all required government services within walking distance of each other and public transport facilities.
This would be discussed with the National Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. Currently, no government facility is planned for the Centurion area.
The development would also formalise the public transport facility which would replace the existing informal facility on the site.
The various stakeholders using this facility would need to liaise and follow a public-participation process to ensure that it met all requirements, resulting in a well-used and practical development.
An earlier concept from 2000 imagined a “bazaar” pathway between Centurion Mall across the lake and connecting main routes in a single line. The initial idea was that various retail activities could take place along this pedestrian path.
The new proposal keeps the pathway but opts for a more integrated approach whereby the route passes through other adjoining developments. The route should be wide enough to accommodate cyclists as well.
The proposed plan has received the necessary support from government departments and the ward councillors affected, and the City will now embark on a public participation process.
Pretoria News