Hey guys please put anything you can find related to the redevelopment of the Vic embankment in here.

Our beloved Victoria Embankment

http://www.afripics.com/images/stockart/WRH/Z2_2721.jpg

http://www.afripics.com/images/stockart/WRH/Z2_1900.jpg


The Initial Spacial concept plan

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2046/new20picture201by6.png


Port authority gauges appetite for Durban waterfront precinct
January 11, 2007

By Samantha Enslin

Durban - The National Ports Authority (NPA) and the eThekwini municipality want to gauge investors' appetite for a commercial precinct at the Durban port in order to establish the pricing for the development.

In an advertisement republished yesterday, developers have been asked to register their interest in a waterfront development ahead of a tender process being initiated.

Julie-May Ellingson, the head of strategic projects at the municipality, said: "We are testing the market to establish what investment developers would be prepared to make and what returns they would expect over what time period."

The development on a 20 000m2 site could include offices, restaurants, retailers and possibly a hotel.

"The development plan done in 2002 caters for a boutique hotel. But with 10 new hotels going up in the city now we may need a relook at that," she said.

Transnet and the city have been negotiating on this priority development for 12 months.

The negotiations are part of Project Tempi (Transnet-eThekwini Municipality Port Initiative), which is aimed at jointly planning port projects.

The site earmarked for the waterfront is owned by Transnet through the NPA, which owns all port land in South Africa. This site is leased to the city council and is being used by yacht clubs.

The stumbling blocks in talks between Transnet and the council include determining the value of the land and the length of the lease for the waterfront development.


Transnet, which is focused on freight, wants to maximise returns on its prime port land.

Last year Transnet sold its interest in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town for R7 billion. The proceeds will be used to beef up rail capacity.

John Dludlu, the parastatal's spokesperson, said: "Our strategy to turn Transnet into a focused transport and logistics company remains unchanged.

"The invitation for registrations of interest regarding the Victoria Embankment waterfront is in line with our strategy of optimising the development of the port with the City of Durban. The NPA and the City of Durban are looking at a variety of solutions for the area and the registration of interest will form part of a feasibility study," Dludlu said.

Expressions of interest need to be submitted by January 23.

The project is likely to cost about R200 million, of which half would cover the reclamation of land from the harbour.

The funding could be a joint venture between the private sector and the city.

The city wants a tender document out within three months so that the development can be completed within five years.

Ellingson said: "The project is long overdue. The site is not being used to its maximum potential. If we want to get this done then we need to get going."

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fS...icleId=3621483




__________________________________________________________________________________________________


Durban waterfront set for a sea change
Khulu Phasiwe

Public Policy Correspondent

BIG changes are in store for the Victoria Embankment Waterfront in the Durban port precinct as part of a plan by the eThekwini municipality to upgrade the inner city and make Durban a water- sports centre.


The municipality and the port landlord, the National Ports Authority, said yesterday that the area consisted of a yacht basin and a harbour for small craft. It had a “degraded appearance” and catered for the interests of the few.


The two parties said the plan was to transform the area into “a world-class tourist venue” and they had invited developers to register their interest in future tender opportunities.

The two warned potential bidders that the invitation for registration of interest was not a tender process — they would not be on any short lists or in a selection of a preferred bidder.

The intention was to gauge “what scale and type of market appetite there is for this development”, said the invitation document. “This invitation is not a tender. Failure to register will not preclude any party from submitting a bid in a subsequent tender phase.”

Interested parties have until January 23 to register.


Transnet, which owns the ports authority, said the development of the waterfront did not mean the company was building a property portfolio. It said the development would not be of the same commercial magnitude as Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, which was recently sold for R7bn.

Transnet spokesman John Dludlu said: “Our strategy to turn Transnet into a focused transport and logistics company, with operations in freight rail, ports and pipelines, remains unchanged. The invitation for registrations of interest regarding the Victoria Embankment Waterfront is in line with our strategy of optimising the development of the port with the … Durban (municipality).”

The ports authority and the City of Durban, which has a long lease on the land, would look at a variety of solutions for the area and the registrations of interest would form part of a feasibility study, Dludlu said. Once responses had been assessed, Transnet and the municipality would make further announcements on development opportunities.

http://www.businessday.co.za/article...?ID=BD4A356754

Neighbourhood Watch - The Esplanade

By Anne Schauffer

From the Property Magazine KZN

Couldn’t I just stay the night? I’ll sneak out before dawn,’ promised a sweet-faced young prospective buyer who, although unable to stretch to the R1.2-million asking price for this penthouse apartment, yearned to borrow the glittering fairytale view for an evening. She was ushered quickly, but gently, from the building, for even the toughest estate agent understands the intoxication of the moment. Victoria Embankment by night, viewed from on high, is a breathtaking sight. Never static, it’s a dramatic, ever-changing vista, thick with the promise of ocean travel to exotic places, and the faintly salty taste of another time, another life.

http://www.thepropertymag.co.za/images/452774491/ArticleImages/2006/september/mainimages/Esplanade-3.jpg
(A quaint block untouched by modern ‘improvements’ to its original facade.)

Sadly, it’s at ground level where the problems perceived or otherwise have poisoned the pond. Let’s face it, anywhere else in the world, a 2.5-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex apartment, with deep verandas and vast, panoramic sea, harbour, bay and inland views would fetch a telephone-number price tag. So what’s the story here? Simple. The Esplanade or rather Victoria Embankment so called in 1897 after the Queen in honour of the diamond jubilee of her reign has, from its heady halcyon days, endured a steady decline in stature. Although the ‘prestigious’ frontline apartments have experienced good, but not exceptional, appreciation in value, the region has been dogged by an increasingly damaged security image.

Poor image equals affordability, so first-time buyers particularly young-and-single, often professionals, who work in the CBD, financial sectors or in some maritime capacity were able to put their foot in the door, either as renters or buyers. The Esplanade more specifically behind the frontline, especially in the Albert Park area was viewed with grave apprehension by home seekers and to a lesser extent, investors. According to a number of local estate agents, it’s the rental market that’s been most buoyant; the sales one, poor to average. But that was yesterday.

Bly Scott Williams of Pam Golding Properties’ Beachfront CBD branch, says when they opened this agency nearly four years ago, a one-bedroomed flat in Victoria Palms sold for R90 000; today, you’ll pay a minimum of R450 000. Happy returns in anybody’s books.

Despite its bad-boy rep, Nash Cohen, MD of Hunters, has a fresh take on the area and firmly believes frontline Esplanade property has been a great investment, largely because initial prices were reasonable: ‘Prices continue to rise steadily, unlike other areas which have ceilinged off in terms of value. It’s not that buyers want cheaper views; it’s more that it’s been a side benefit of living in a regenerating area. The view and it is stunning is far more reasonably priced (and interesting) than the typical North Coast view.’


http://www.thepropertymag.co.za/images/452774491/ArticleImages/2006/september/mainimages/Esolanade-2.jpg
(The daytime view of Africa’s largest harbour from a flat in Tiber Island.)

But when you’re buying, it’s not just about the asking price,’ says Bly. Many of the buildings on Victoria Embankment fell into varying states of disrepair and recently there’s been a goliath effort to reverse that. Now when you’re considering buying, never judge the book by its cover. Today’s million-dollar question on Victoria Embankment should be: ‘Has the special levy been paid?’ ‘And,’ says Bly, ‘in many of these blocks, they have. So ignore the peeling paint, it’s been taken care of.

Three years ago at Chelsea Court, you’d have paid R70 000 for a one-bedroomed flat. The special levy’s been paid, refurbishment is under way, and now you’ll pay R500 000.’ In John Ross House about to undergo a massive revamp flat owners’ special levies began at R20 000. ‘They’ve paid for seven brand-new lifts,’ says Bly.

Albert Park off Victoria Embankment has for some time been an absolute no-go area, but Clive Cowan of Wakefields’ Beach branch says there’s been an improvement, and once again, it’s all about levy collection: ‘Some buildings are implementing strict policies of levy collection, and it shows. Others…’News travels fast. Or, at least, good rumours did, and breaking property news in the past few weeks has been all about Victoria Embankment.

‘The proposed R100-million Esplanade development project is on track,’ says leader of strategic projects in eThekwini Municipality, Julie-May Ellingson, after a recent meeting with senior Transnet officials. Transnet the transport logistics parastatal owns the 20 000m² piece of land between Wilson’s Wharf and the BAT Centre where the multi-nodal development is destined to be built, so finalisation of the land ownership issue is paramount. An environmental impact assessment study has been approved for land reclamation on the yacht basin, so it’s full steam or sails ahead.

‘The municipality,’ says Julie-May, ‘wants to rationalize all land use and resolve all issues of land tenure and ownership. Once we’ve done so, we’ll put out a tender for an expression of interest for a development proposal.’ This waterfront development will include a world-class marina, a boutique hotel, a Miami-style boardwalk, updated yachting facilities, and other large-scale recreational and retail developments.

eThekwini municipal manager Mike Sutcliffe says Victoria Embankment has long been recognised as having the potential to develop into one of the region’s most important tourism and recreational assets. ‘Furthermore,’ he says, ‘its potential to accelerate the regeneration of the CBD through appropriate planning and integration has also been recognised, given its proximity.


‘Durban,’ according to Mike, ‘is hoping to host a world-class yachting event in two years’ time, and the pending development will go a considerable distance towards consolidating the city as Africa’s premier yachting destination.’ With the long-standing, well-respected Point and Royal Natal Yacht Clubs rubbing shoulders in the area designated for the development and yachting being an integral, vital part of Durban life Mike assures the yachting community that they will be factored into any future development to take place there.

And the really good news? It’s not just talk. It’s not even long-term talk. If the ducks get in their row, Victoria Embankment could begin its reincarnation before the end of this financial year. Can you hear it? The loud, insistent sound of phones ringing in estate agencies. And it’s not just investors keen to snap up bargains. One caretaker of a prestigious block said four of the six flats on the market, were withdrawn by owners within hours of hearing the future. It’s those who had the foresight to buy property in what is indisputably a world-class setting, who are now smiling broadly.

Taking the good news to another level, Monet Viviers-Bottomley, sales director at Hunters, is buoyed up by the regenerative work in the area undertaken by designated divisions of the City. In her view, ‘regeneration always starts and resonates from the beach side inland.’ So, a revived Victoria Embankment would kick-start a chain reaction.

Victoria Embankment and environs looks poised for a desperately needed blood transfusion and, given the depth of history encapsulated by the Esplanade, simply everybody tourists and Durbanites alike stand to benefit from that revival. Walking along the palm-lined Esplanade is a fascinating call-back-the-past stroll, with a wealth of diverse and acclaimed architecture, commemorative statues and monuments to complex aspects of our history, and a tantalising level of incongruity to pique your interest. It’s intriguing to realise that at the beginning of the last century before work was completed in 1902 the bay was still fringed by mangroves.

Who, for starters, would have thought that in 1857 the bay, or Bayside as it was known, was the Beach? According to Janie Malherbe in her book, Port Natal: ‘The beaches fringing the bay were regarded by Durbanites as a place for outings and relaxation, and Back Beach (Durban’s north and south beachers) was a wild stretch of scrub-covered sand dunes, right out in "the bundu". In due course a "bathing house" was completed on the Bay front.

The building consisted of wood on mangrove posts, about 50 yards [45.72m] from the dry ground, a sort of shed, with a dressing room on a platform, approached by a plank gangway on the Bay front. A small yard for the bathers was enclosed by a reed fence which, from a boat, had the appearance of a large fish kraal.

The arrangement was sufficient for ladies and children, and when the tide served was well patronized during the first summer season.’ Amusingly, ‘men were only allowed to use this bathing place in the forenoon, the rest of the time being reserved for women and children.’Janie describes the galloping pace of development in the 470 years since Vasco da Gama sighted the shores of Port Natal: ‘At its town end, the Bay itself is now bordered by a fine esplanade, The Victoria Embankment.

Here great hotels, business concerns and the Durban Club, stand on reclaimed soil where mangroves preened themselves in a watery mirror, flamingoes flashed in roseate splendour, and hippos wallowed a little more than a hundred years ago.’But it wasn’t only the first beach to which Victoria Embankment lays claim.

http://www.thepropertymag.co.za/images/452774491/ArticleImages/2006/september/mainimages/Esplanade-6.jpg
(Quadrant House was designed in 1929 by Ritchie Mackinlay as a naval training school.)

Durban’s first hospital, the Natal Government Hospital later The Bayside – was completed in 1861 at a cost of £2 500. It was only 16 years later that, bursting at the seams, a new one was built on Back Beach at Addington. The Bayside hospital was taken over for use by the Durban Boys’ High School, and later formed part of the Boys’ Model School. The Durban law courts now occupy the site of the Bayside hospital, and a plaque commemorates the history of the site.

Even the sad, and yes, seedy Albert Park once took precedence over the now elevated status and cooler altitude of Mitchell Park. Durban’s West End Park as Albert Park was initially known began to be developed in 1865, and for many years was superior to Mitchell Park, having a pavilion, a cycle track, and a cricket oval. It was also the headquarters of the early Durban Department of Parks and Gardens.

Property on Victoria Embankment, then and now, seems always to have been a controversial issue, and one which has extended to both the erecting and the demolishing of buildings. But little compares with the outcry which accompanied the demolition of the famed, much-loved Marine Hotel at the jetty end of Gardiner Street where, to celebrate the relief of Mafeking in May 1900 during the Second Anglo-Boer War, the dinner menu featured such fine delicacies as Shrapnel of Fruit and Custard, as well as Kruger Marrow Bones on Toast.


But Victoria Embankment is home to some memorable architecture, lovingly preserved and restored by far-sighted corporates and individuals who know what preservation of history means to a city; buildings which are fine examples of architectural genres, from art deco to colonial. But sensitively designed, the old sits happily alongside the new, and Durban waits with bated breath to see what dynamic, innovative and enticing structures are in store for Victoria Embankment, our magnificent bayside Esplanade with all the right ingredients that somehow, somewhere, at some place in some time, went wrong.

Well so far we have

1) the R200m (probably much higher) redevelopment on the yacht mole.

2) Bay Terrace Views R300m

3) Grinrod Place Tower +-R350m

4) The proposed 40F tower by an indian and british consortium...



Things look promising indeed!

Thanks for starting this thread, Mike. You are a STAR!!!

Transnet seeks developers for Durban waterfront precincts

The National Ports Authority (NPA), which is finalising a feasibility study for the development of the Yacht Basin and Craft Harbour precincts within the Victoria Embankment waterfront district in the Port of Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, has called on prospective developers to express interest in developing the area.

In December, the NPA, a division of parastatal Transnet, indicated that it was preparing for a possible tender phase in which private parties could be invited to bid for the development opportunity.

A statement on the NPA website said that the NPA, which was working in collaboration with Ethekwini Municipality, was looking to determine market appetite type.

The Victoria Embankment, also called the Esplanade, is one of the oldest streets in the city and consists of the Supreme Court building, modern sky-scrapers and the Bay of Natal, from Maydon Wharf with the sugar terminal in the west, past the yacht habour to the quais in the east.

http://www.miningweekly.co.za/min/news/today/?show=99747

That article just came in the Mecury this morning, exciting stuff, I hope ALL of this does happen & is not just talk.

Here's the article from the Mercury. For me the Victoria Embankment waterfront could be even more appealing than the Point because the setting is really stunning.


Redesign rather than refurbish
January 12, 2007 Edition 1


The first comprehensive details of the new Victoria Embankment redevelopment plan were released officially only this week, but initial reaction has largely been very positive.

This project, estimated at R200 million, envisages a total redesign of the existing yacht mole and inner-city waterfront.

City planners have stressed that, given the long history of urban decay and ad hoc planning in the Victoria Embankment area, the best approach was to completely redesign rather than to refurbish.

The most noticeable feature is a much enlarged promontory jutting into the harbour, fringed by thickets of mangrove forests and other indigenous vegetation which recreate some of the original natural appearance of early Durban.

At the far end is a large "screwpile" lighthouse, a focal icon which has been named the Lighthouse Pub.

The existing moorings for 400 yachts have been shifted away from the embankment to allow for a range of restaurants, pubs, maritime office facilities and speciality shopping areas closer to the water's edge.

The intention is to refurbish the existing double-storey Point Yacht Club building to become the new restaurant node. The south side of the building would be expanded to include a large open-air timber deck overlooking a square and terraced entertainment area.

There are several squares and plazas to give effect to one of the central objectives of the plan - reinstating open public access to a unique harbour environment which has been cut off by a road and a railway line.

The plan is to ensure easier public access by widening the main entrances, underpasses and possibly a new overpass.

Towards the Bat Centre is a large floating restaurant, reminiscent of an Arab dhow.

There are plans for a 60-bed "boutique" hotel with a private beach to the right of the main yacht mole entrance, though this plan could change.

On the left of the harbour entrance are a tourist information kiosk and coffee bar.

The Point and Royal Natal yacht clubs - along with the rowing club and other watersports groups - have been relocated to a centralised watersport club close to the present Royal Natal clubhouse.

The existing Café Fish is still here, but its future purpose is to serve as the dining facility for the centralised water clubs.

Though it is not clear how the different clubs would divide or demarcate the central clubhouse facility, the members have access to a large lawned area fronted by thickets of mangroves and sea grasses.

The plans also make provision for a new rowing course, which encircles the entire yacht mole precinct.

The intention is to keep the buildings at a maximum of two or three storeys.

The clubs would be offered "soft" lease terms at below market rental to ensure better security of tenure.

Planning documents suggest that relocating the Point Yacht Club to a central club facility offers the opportunity to free up more land for public use and to convert a "degraded anchorage into a place of significant urban excellence".

The architecture would be designed to emphasise the nautical character of the area.

Another suggestion is to introduce water taxis.

Point Yacht Club Commodore Nigel Milne said he thought it would be premature to comment on the detailed proposals.

"Our present priority is to resolve our status at the Point development first, before looking at what could happen at our Victoria Embankment site."

However, Royal Natal Yacht Club Commodore Chris Frost said: "The consensus is that we are in favour of the development and as a non-profit group we think it provides significant opportunities to upgrade the area."

Potential investors in the project have been invited to present expressions of interest before January 23 to Phumi Motsoahae at the e-mail address phumelele.motsoahae@transnet.net

Thanks for posting, Greg. I saw the headlines but didn't have time to buy / see the paper. Sounds AMAZING!!!!

The part I'm wondering about is that bare strip between Point Yacht Club and Wilson's Wharf. That's a completely untouched strip of probably 150m that could have amazing facilities built there.

Oh, and I think Water Taxis would be great! Link up Wilsons Wharf-Bat Centre strip with Point Waterfront, and in the future, the new Bluff development, once the military releases that land to eThekwini.

Here's the full article from the Mercury....

---------------------------------------

Waterfront on the cards for Durban
Tony Carnie
January 12 2007 at 04:31AM

The shape and character of maritime Durban is set to change dramatically - for better and for worse - as the city ponders the viability of two major waterfront development plans.

At the Point, city officials have come under fire from several groups who fear that the proposed Small Craft Harbour at Vetch's Pier will rob ordinary citizens of one of the city's most popular beach and watersport venues.

But elsewhere in the city the eThekwini Municipality and the National Ports Authority also unveiled far-reaching plans this week to redevelop a second major waterfront area centred on the degraded Victoria Embankment and yacht mole precinct.

While the R200-million embankment plan aims to restore "meaningful" public access and public recreation areas in the inner-city waterfront area, the Point small craft harbour plan has been criticised by many as an elitist venture which would see tons of concrete being poured over the submerged diving reefs at Vetch's Pier and on to the adjoining sandy beach.

The city says it wants to ensure continued public access at Vetch's, but Durban Paddle-Ski Club Chairman Johnny Vassilaros claims thousands of watersport enthusiasts and ordinary members of the public are being "chased away like dogs" to create an exclusive property development for the super rich.

Vassilaros stresses that while his club members support development and rejuvenation of the long-stalled Point area, he believes the design of the project fails to properly accommodate the needs of the watersport community and would lead to the disappearance of "Durban's only true family beach".

His members have also been angered by what they call the "bully-boy tactics" of the Durban Point Development Company, which had raised the possibility of summarily evicting all the watersport clubs from their leased premises if no consensus was reached.

The company is a 50/50 venture between the Malaysian-based Rocpoint group and the eThekwini Municipality. Observers say that has created a conflict of interest for the city - by acting as a co-developer on one hand, and also as regulator tasked with resolving conflicts between rival interest groups.

Some members of the yachting and watersport fraternity believe the small craft harbour proposal should be scrapped entirely and moved inside Durban Bay - but this has been rejected by the development company, which has set its sights on building an "iconic" attraction at the Point, largely for the benefit of new property investors and luxury apartment owners.

The company has also dismissed the idea of shifting the position of the luxury marina into the Durban Bay harbour area on the basis that the National Ports Authority was strongly opposed to the further expansion of the small craft sector into the already congested commercial harbour area.

But now that the ports authority and the municipality have unveiled a joint plan to rejuvenate the Victoria Embankment and yacht mole area, fresh questions are bound to be asked about the sincerity of the council and harbour authority in refusing to entertain proposals for an enlarged watersport marina within Durban Bay.

While the National Ports Authority and its parent group, Transnet, have not responded to queries on this issue, city officials have suggested there is a need for two waterfront developments.

The small craft harbour would largely cater for private property owners and larger international yachts, while the embankment would be a "city" facility to accommodate existing boat owners.

A further burning concern for existing watersport clubs at the Point is that members would be forced to incur major new costs and subscription fee hikes to finance the purchase and construction costs of a single new waterfront club at the Point.

Back at the embankment, the inner-city waterfront plan is set to radically reconfigure and rejuvenate the yacht mole area.


This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on January 12, 2007

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20070112035418270C925220

there was a great proposal in the 80s and M&R were going to do it fore a massive marina and residentail reclimation project. harbour waterfront homes with 12-15F resi towers facing into the marina. veryu cool but couldent get off the ground

^^ well i dont see this development being high rise, and i actually support that. i think the highrise construction should be on the cbd side, for u dont want to ruin that beautiful skyline with buildings jutting out into the water and ruining its simplicity and balance....

Here is the prelim development plan for the vic embankment...i'm sure we will get some interesting groups showing their interest in this project and it may turn out alot more special than we can even think now

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c128/dysan1/IMGP1946.jpg


1 - Sportsmens B&B (60 units)
2 - Gardiner Street jetty
3 - Yachting centre
4 - Refreshment node
5 - Speciality outlet
6 - Marine technical centre
7 - Major restaurant nodes
8 - Main entrance
9 - Tourist kiosk and bus terminal
10 - Boutique hotel (60 units)
11 - Central club facility
12 - Lighthouse pub (in a uniquely designed large 'screwpile' lighthouse)
13 - Marina access
14 - Rowing centre
15 - Dinghy storage and launch
16 - Keeler repair yard
17 - Double level public parkade
18 - 20 Public parking
21 - Re-establishment of the Mangroves

oh dear...this is a serious lack of vision.this area has serious potential.

ummm....thats a rather harsh statement with ntohing backing it up. whats lacking in the vision in your opinion?

ummm....thats a rather harsh statement with ntohing backing it up. whats lacking in the vision in your opinion?

im glad they upgrading the area...but vic embankment has the potential and the location to be more than just a R200 million refurb....it feels like a small city development in a big city, when it should be a big city development in a big city,...i hope the final plans are more exciting and the figure moves from R200 million closer to R1 billion or even more...this is prob one of my fave places in durbs in terms of its potential, and its disappointing to see the lack of vision. im glad its getting a makeover though..

i personally dont see it as "a lack of vision". While the money is small, that is the cities budget. they are calling for proposals from outsiders to see the market interest.

Also it is not the whole vic embankment. this is the harbour side and space is limited. There are no expansive land areas.

I dont see any lack of vision at all, for they have asked for input from investors. and stated that these elements have to be incorporated, for it still has to fulfill its primary function.

i personally dont see it as "a lack of vision". While the money is small, that is the cities budget. they are calling for proposals from outsiders to see the market interest.

Also it is not the whole vic embankment. this is the harbour side and space is limited. There are no expansive land areas.

I dont see any lack of vision at all, for they have asked for input from investors. and stated that these elements have to be incorporated, for it still has to fulfill its primary function.
I still think its a lack of vision. Ill wait and see what they come up with

I think this a great start for the area. This development also excludes the strip between Wilson's Wharf and Cafe Fish node. Will likely exceed the R200m being brandied around.

def a great start but i had dreams of something like this
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/oct2gon/VCEC.jpg

^^ And where will the money come from? :)

Nice, Mo. However, it's almost a clone of what Vancouver currently has. Durbs needs something authenticaly its own.

BUT....where is the land to come from? you cant reclaim the harbour...the port needs that land.

I think the expression of interest will lead to some good ideas, for transnet are sure to sell it off like they did with the V&A, its not in their vision. But i still dont see it being big, and i really would not want it to be too highrise, will spoil the charm...imagine the V&A being highrise...

BUT....where is the land to come from? you cant reclaim the harbour...the port needs that land.

I think the expression of interest will lead to some good ideas, for transnet are sure to sell it off like they did with the V&A, its not in their vision. But i still dont see it being big, and i really would not want it to be too highrise, will spoil the charm...imagine the V&A being highrise...

that image is of vancouver...dont bring th V&A into this...for the 72nd time....the V&A will not be converted into some highrise development...
I dont expect durbs to copy vancouver...but this embankment needs something big and exciting...at the moment with its little tourist kiosks and small city ideas its really far off from anything id imagine for this area.

durbs does need something authentic..but does authentic have to be boring?
as for money...who knows? phone tokyo?

there was a great proposal in the 80s and M&R were going to do it fore a massive marina and residentail reclimation project. harbour waterfront homes with 12-15F resi towers facing into the marina. veryu cool but couldent get off the ground
now thats what im talking about..

we dont have the space for Mo's vision, its nice, but wont work out in Durb's. if they want gardens & stuff, they must do up Albert Park & try & link it some how to this dev

VICTORIA EMBANKMENT – URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL

Commissioned by the Department of Architecture and Building, Ethekwini, soundspacedesign provided a vision for the Victoria Embankment by using a new process of analysis named “graphic divination”, and contemporary trans-discursive planning methods that rely on diagrams and open-ended means of conceptual discovery.

By subjecting GIS information through a series of graphic filters, the design team were able to map out patterns of land-use that were not ordinarily apparent.

This process confirmed the existence of certain urban phenomena in some cases, and exposed new ones in others.

The central problem of the Victoria Embankment, is that access to the water has been severely restricted due to the imposition of the railway line in the 1930’s. At the time of Union, the City of Durban sold the waters edge to the State, and this has stripped Durban of a vital resource.

To this day, the city of Durban has been in a constant struggle with Transnet, and the National Ports Authority, over shared infrastructure and thus the very destiny of the city/port interface, especially with regards to public space.

A number of schemes have been proposed, but none have been successful.

The first step in soundspacedesign’s urban design process was to undertake “a study of the studies” to confirm their common goals and differences.

The current proposal aligns itself with many former objectives, however its identification of overlapping precincts that have a deep connectivity towards their immediate and differing contexts at the micro scale was key to delivering a new functional agenda along the waters edge.

By proposing new bulk targets and commensurate parking infrastructure, as well as the demolition of the Marine building in order to create a new landscape stretching from the City Hall to the Waterfront, the project could ensure that there is enough ”there” there.


http://www.soundspacedesign.com/uploads/projectimages/13/63/img.jpg
http://www.soundspacedesign.com/uploads/projectimages/13/64/img.jpg
http://www.soundspacedesign.com/uploads/projecttypes/1/img.jpg

we dont have the space for Mo's vision, its nice, but wont work out in Durb's. if they want gardens & stuff, they must do up Albert Park & try & link it some how to this dev

Space isnt that much of a problem - any aerial photo will show that most of the length of the VE is shallow enough to walk on. There are many hectares available. The problem is there is no one with money who wants to buy anything there.

Space isnt that much of a problem - any aerial photo will show that most of the length of the VE is shallow enough to walk on. There are many hectares available. The problem is there is no one with money who wants to buy anything there.

exactly.

Space isnt that much of a problem - any aerial photo will show that most of the length of the VE is shallow enough to walk on. There are many hectares available. The problem is there is no one with money who wants to buy anything there.

Umm...nice insight but incorrect. The past year the Vic Embankment has been the hottest property area in Durban, with massive interest and purchases by investors. There are many new proposals for buildings in the area and the city has invested in keeping it clean and good on the eye.

The shallow areas u talk about change when it is high tide. Also they are protected areas and no development of any kind is allowed on them.

^^I was gonna get to that point, thanx Dys, & whats this Im hearing about no one wants to buy there? Last year this time, someone offered me a flat on Vic Embankment for R80 000, this guy bought 5, I declined, he did them up, must have spent R60 000 on each flats for renovations, & is selling them for R400 000 now! & people are buying :crazy:

I have one down there. Paid R90k for it in 2004. Its now worth R550k. So dont tell me no one is buying and no one is making money. Its the best part of durban for property investment (even tho its been for over a year now and most investors have already hopped on the bandwagon and big profits will be hard to come by in the short term, but hold on for long term).

^^I was gonna get to that point, thanx Dys, & whats this Im hearing about no one wants to buy there? Last year this time, someone offered me a flat on Vic Embankment for R80 000, this guy bought 5, I declined, he did them up, must have spent R60 000 on each flats for renovations, & is selling them for R400 000 now! & people are buying :crazy:

seems like you missed out..the cape town waterfront apartments were selling for close to R1 mil some years back...today its hot hot property.

Yeh, missed the boat, but it might not be too late, there are still a few that are going for under a R100 000

Anyone been able to get info about any of the proposals that were submitted? i'm terribly excited about this one!!

I heard there was some problem with Transnet not releasing the land or something along those lines. At Indaba the city council announced something about getting the waterfront plan back on track asap. Sorry it's all rather vague.

do you work in the tourism world greg?

do you work in the tourism world greg?

Yip

Here's what's happening...

eThekwini upbeat on progress in Transnet land sale talks
Business Report, May 24, 2007

By SLINDILE KHANYILE

Durban - eThekwini Municipality is optimistic that it will soon reach an agreement with Transnet over the piece of land it wants to develop for the Victoria Embankment waterfront.

This follows an agreement in which Transnet agreed to sell land to the city for stadium parking in preparation for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

Council manager Mike Sutcliffe said yesterday that the city was negotiating with Transnet about four pieces of land it wanted to develop, including the land for the planned Victoria Embankment waterfront development.

Sutcliffe has been pushing for Transnet to sell the land to the city at below commercial price. He would not disclose the price of the land.

"I will not say it until we sign the deal but I can say that both the buyer and the seller are happy," said Sutcliffe.

Sutcliffe and his team have been frustrated by Transnet because of the delay regarding the land they want to use for R100 million of waterfront development near the Durban Port. This is because the two did not agree on the value and the lease price of the land.

The city was considering the option of developing the sections of the land, which it had leased for 30 years,s but did indicate that it would not be an ideal situation.

"There are continuous discussions between my head of strategic projects and Transnet's people and we will soon have all the answers about the other pieces of land that we want," said Sutcliffe.

"I would say [that] sin about a month, we will have something conclusive and we will issue a statement in due course."

Two weeks ago Business Report reported that the municipality had received a reasonable response after placing an advertisement to gauge interest from potential developers. The response surpassed the city's expectations but no commitments were made because of the uncertainty.

"We've agreed in principle with the city on an outright sale of land," said Sutcliffe. "But this agreement is subject to approval by public enterprises minister, Alec Erwin."

Thanks for the update, Greg. This is helpful.

Anyone been able to get info about any of the proposals that were submitted? i'm terribly excited about this one!!

me 2.

http://www.npa.co.za/Victoria%20Embankment%20Project/VE%20Embankment%20Development.htm

i wonder how long the delay due to the transfer of ownership will take? surely not too long as they both seem to have now made an agreement

Have been told that land ownership has nearly been complete and transfer of all land to the city is imminent. The city has also selected a JV group of International and local developers to run with the project. The vision has grown somewhat from the R100m proposed by the city, to a development in the region of R1 - R1,5 billion.

So when will they release designs?

Sounds exciting. R100m did seem a ridiculously small amount for such a prime development. Ulitmately this could be the city's top spot!

Now this is sweet news. You're right, Greg. This will do wonders for the inner city. People sometimes forget that the Esplanade is as inner city as you can get: it's just one street parallel to Smith Street and City Hall, the nucleus of the downtown, is even visible from Vic / Margaret St. In this context it's far more accessible than the V&A Waterfront re: CT's CBD. If done well, the new development could really be amazing for the downtown.

Now this is sweet news. You're right, Greg. This will do wonders for the inner city. People sometimes forget that the Esplanade is as inner city as you can get: it's just one street parallel to Smith Street and City Hall, the nucleus of the downtown, is even visible from Vic / Margaret St. In this context it's far more accessible than the V&A Waterfront re: CT's CBD. If done well, the new development could really be amazing for the downtown.

its by time this went ahead. R1.5 billion sounds like the kickstart it needs. After that the major investors will come.

Umm...nice insight but incorrect. The past year the Vic Embankment has been the hottest property area in Durban, with massive interest and purchases by investors. There are many new proposals for buildings in the area and the city has invested in keeping it clean and good on the eye.

The shallow areas u talk about change when it is high tide. Also they are protected areas and no development of any kind is allowed on them.

hi Dysan1 - the greens want to see the sandbanks remain untouched because these filter the water and keep it 'clean'. Couldnt the water quality be further enhanced by restricting all the drainage into the port? The area around the New Cafe Fish and Clipper Marina area pongs big time at spring low tide. If this is cleaned up wont the developers then be able to use the land between the current marina and Wilsons Wharf ?

The old Batt Centre used to be a great spot. If access was easier i am sure that it would have improved further. Couldnt the VE be developed in order for the area from Wilsons to the Batt Centre to form one seamless property ?

^^ the seamless development is the plan of the redevelopment.

However there are certain sandbanks which are protected under a 1980s piece of legislation that was a compromise between the port and the enivronmental groups that certain of these banks were left undeveloped for future generations and the availability of open space. Its more to do with egological reasons, for many crabs and other creatures make these sandbanks there only homes in the port.

also restricted drainage will be near impossible to implement as the majority of debris in the port is from the stormwater drainage system around the inner city. greater education of littering is the best solution. Take a look at the drainage outlets into the port after a big storm, they are spewing litter, and u cant divert it anywhere else. i think more continuous clean-ups are required. the problem is that the city believe its the ports responsibility and the port think its the city. they are tied in a dispute over this at present.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

The first Clipper boats should arrive on thursday 15.11 .........remember that Durban was voted as one of the favorite ports of call during the last race. Tent town is up and getting ready to welcome the boiats in.

The race will start on the 25th .........

:cheers:

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

The first Clipper boats should arrive on thursday 15.11 .........remember that Durban was voted as one of the favorite ports of call during the last race. Tent town is up and getting ready to welcome the boiats in.

The race will start on the 25th .........

:cheers:

The first ones are in - Durban has about 40 miles to go. Get down to the Marina and see what value the sport of sailing brings to a port.

SCUTTLEBUTT EUROPE #1361 - 16 NOVEMBER 2007

Brought to you by YachtsandCruisers.com ( www.YachtsandCruisers.com ) with the support of OC Events ( www.ocevents.org ), Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to editor@scuttlebutteurope.com

GOLDEN GATE YC RESPONDS TO ALINGHI'S LAWYER
"We are still working hard to resolve this and have made some big concessions in continuing talks with challengers, but these recent claims are excessive and have to be addressed," Tom Ehman, GGYC's spokesman said.

"The claims that talks ended because of new GGYC demands are at odds with what was being said in the negotiations at the time. They also overlook the fact that Alinghi introduced significant new regulations at a late stage of the negotiations and invited us to discuss these new items," Ehman said.

Their claim relating to two-boat testing being a new issue is not correct as it was part of our "nine-point" settlement proposal of October 17.

The other points related to issues covered in that letter or to the Competition Regulations introduced on November 8th.

"The Regulations are a substantial document. Ernesto Bertarelli's lawyer, Lucien Masmejan, invited us to raise any concerns about the new regulations so that we could resolve them directly. We had scheduled a meeting to work through those few remaining points with Alinghi's sailing and design team on the day they abruptly cancelled talks.

"Several other claims, including one by Hamish Ross that GGYC sought to exclude the defender from the semi-finals format, are simply false," he said.

The letter from October 17 is on the GGYC site at www.ggyc.com/071017_letter_to_Alinghi.pdf

STILL BREEZY IN VITORIA
Vitoria, Brasil: The conditions of high winds and big seas which kept the SM 40's at their moorings and the sailors ashore yesterday afternoon at the Vitoria Brasil Sailing Cup did the same today, but not before allowing the six teams from Group B to complete three flights of morning Round Robin action. In this group, Paolo Cian (ITA) from Team Shosholosa remains undefeated on three wins, while Mathieu Richard (FRA), the second-ranked skipper on the World Match Racing Tour, has led his Saba Racing Team to two wins, as has fellow Frenchman Philippe Presti of Luna Rossa.

To earn his undefeated score, Cian defeated Presti, Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA), and Torvar Mirsky (AUS), who at 21 years old is the youngest player on the Tour. Displaying an aggressive style of sailing reminiscent of his mentor Peter Gilmour, Mirsky ran into trouble early in the round, earning a black flag disqualification in his first match against Eric Monnin (SUI). Morvan also ran into trouble in his match against Monnin, where a collision between the two resulted in a half-point deduction notation which will be levied against Morvan if there is a tie-break needed to qualify to the next stage in the event.

Principal Race Officer Joao Pedro Cascais kept Group A ashore in the afternoon in the hope that the 30-knot winds and big waves would abate, but as late as 1600 there was no let up, so racing was postponed for the remainder of the day. Cascais feels confident the weather will be more cooperative tomorrow, and has called for the teams in Group A to meet tomorrow at 0700 local time.

www.worldmatchracingtour.com and
www.vitoriabrasilsailingcup.com

NOTHING BUT THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND SERVICE
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Visit www.ullmansails.com

OLYMPIC HOPEFUL BARKOW BLASTS INTO THE LEAD
Shoreacres, Texas, USA: Three...two...one...blast off! That familiar sound from nearby NASA Johnson's Space Center is also the scoreline of Olympic hopeful Sally Barkow's (Nashotah, Wis.) race results today at US SAILING's Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship. With a total score of 11 points, Barkow and her team - Debbie Capozzi, Annie Lush and Amanda Callahan - lead the 39-boat fleet racing out of the Houston Yacht Club in Shoreacres, Texas.

Yesterday's leader Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.) slipped into third-place overall, a mere eight points behind after discarding a seventh place result from day one. The regatta's sailing instructions allow competitors to throwout their worst result once six races are completed in the series.

Of the focus needed to excel in today's challenging conditions - a marked change from yesterday's hot temperatures and moderate wind - local sail Julie Goetschius said, "It was a lot more exciting for those who can drive through the chop. The starts were pretty exciting."

Racing continues through Saturday and is hosted at the Houston Yacht Club. -- Dana Paxton

Day 2 Preliminary Results: Top 10 of 39 teams

1. Sally Barkow, USA, 11 points
2. Derby Anderson, USA, 17
3. Lucy, Cory Sertl, USA, 19
4. Anna Tunnicliffe, USA, 28
5. Nicole Breault, USA, 32
6. Devonvale, Dominique Provoyeur, RSA, 40
7. RIFT, Dana Bethancourt, USA, 46
8. Sundog, Kathy Parks, USA, 49
9. Black Socks, Jo Ann Fisher, USA, 51
10. Lynette Edenfield, USA, 54

For results, please visit the websites www.ussailing.org/riwkc and the Houston-specific www.riwkc.com . Daily racing videos will be available each evening at 9pm (CST) on www.t2p.tv

CLIPPER RACE: SALVADOR DA BAHIA - DURBAN
The excitement of the final few hundred miles is still building and the fleet is pairing up for some boat on boat match racing. The leading pair, New York and Hull & Humber, briefly swapped position last night and have been sharing the top spot ever since, polling jointly with 111 nautical miles to go at 0600 GMT. By 1200 GMT New York had taken the lead again, putting a mile between them and their closest rival. Both skippers report some great racing, but on an already difficult coastal race this brings added pressure. The light winds overnight made any mistake a costly one.

The chasing pack has also paired up, Liverpool 08 now just one nautical mile to the finish ahead of Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, and Qingdao and Durban 2010 and Beyond separated by the same margin.

The changes to this formation happened last night when the wind dropped and Durban 2010 and Beyond was forced to anchor for five hours. They were in 86 metres of water and, as all the local sailors will no doubt tell Ricky upon his arrival, Durban 2010 and Beyond was too far offshore and unable to use the light winds to make progress against the effects of the Agulhas current. Qingdao managed to keep moving that little bit longer but in the end also anchored for a few hours.

The main topic of conversation in Durban Marina at Point Yacht Club and Royal Natal Yacht Club who are jointly hosting the Clipper fleet is: when will they arrive? This is never an easy one to answer and is especially tricky on this coastline. Despite numerous predictions of a favourable wind shift and a Thursday arrival, the lighter winds have prevailed and the fleet's 12-hour runs remain short.

The latest predictions show the first boats will not arrive before early evening today (Thursday 15), but it is more likely to be an overnight finish. The weather forecasts show the wind filling in from the south west over the course of the day, so the back of the fleet will feel the benefit first, which means this race is by no means over yet!

www.clipperroundtheworld.com

DOLDRUMMED!
Safran has hit the doldrums running, enabling them to get back with the Open 60 frontrunners in the Transat Jacques Vabre. At 1600 hours, Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier were back up to 5th place with just a 15 mile deficit on the new leader, Cheminees Poujoulat (Bernard Stamm/Tanguy Cariou). Yesterday morning, they had a 95 mile deficit! An incredible battle rages...

Eight competitors within 50 miles of each other! This 8th Transat Jacques Vabre is quite simply incredible... With 1,400 miles to the finish, the last four days of racing are likely to be particularly tense for these eight crews, all legitimate pretenders to victory. In the middle of this group, Safran has sailed a blinder by being systematically the fastest boat at every position report today. Clinging firmly to Cheminees Poujoulat and Foncia (Desjoyeaux/Le Borgne), Safran is catching up with everyone. The doldrums are currently in the process of reshuffling the cards.

* In crossing the finish line opposite the lighthouse of Salvador de Bahia port on Wednesday at 10:51:06pm (French time) Lionel Lemonchois and Yann Guichard concluded a rapid transat done and dusted in 10 days 9 hours 49 minutes, shattering the record for the event set in 2003 by over 36 hours. The final day was frenetic, followed by a more gentle finish, the blue trimaran owned by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild having achieved an average speed of 27.4 knots over the last 24 hours' racing and covering over 658.5 miles: another record to go down in the annals of Gitana history.

Despite a broken foil around Madeira which fatally compromised their chances of victory in this edition, the Gitana Team crew gave their all throughout this race and were rewarded for their excellent endeavours with a fine second place.

* After 10 days 16 hours 57 minutes and 57 seconds of racing at a theoretical average speed of 16,89 knots, Pascal Bidegorry and Yvan Ravussin on Banque Populaire crossed the finish line in the Transat Jacques Vabre at 04h59'57" (CET) or in other words 1h59'57" (local time), Thursday, 15th November. Banque Populaire finished the race 16 hours and 19 minutes after the winner, Groupama 2.

Finishing in fourth position was Brossard, sailed by Yvan Bourgnon and Jacques Vincent. Antoine Koch and Gregory Gendon on Sopra finished in fifth place to complete the ORMA fleet.

www.jacques-vabre.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php

SAIL FASTER AND SMARTER
If you want to improve your results on the race course, you should read Speed & Smarts. This bi-monthly newsletter, written by winning America's Cup tactician Dave Dellenbaugh, has been praised by racing sailors worldwide for more than 12 years. Each colorful issue has 16 pages full of race-winning tips on boatspeed, tactics, strategy, rules and more! Whether you are a skipper or crew, on a one-design or big boat, Speed & Smarts will improve your performance.

To see a sample issue or sign up for a subscription, visit our website at www.SpeedandSmarts.com

PAPREC-VIRBAC 2 FIRST TO GIBRALTAR
Paprec-Virbac 2 led the Barcelona World Race fleet into the Atlantic overnight on Wednesday night, winning the first stage of the race in the process.

The opening leg carried a prize of 60 cases of Estrella Damm beer for the first boat to reach Gibraltar, and the Franco-Irish duo of skipper Jean-Pierre Dick and co-skipper Damian Foxall were just able to squeeze past PRB to claim the stage win, crossing through the gate at 02:25 GMT.

PRB has since regained the lead, taking a more direct route south towards the Canaries, while Paprec-Virbac 2 elected to head further west initially.

Happiest among that trailing group were likely to be the lads on Veoli a Environnement and Mutua Madrilea who snuck past Delta Dore and Hugo Boss overnight.

The passage into the Atlantic doesn't mean things immediately get easier. The trade winds the fleet would normally expect to pick up over the next few days simply aren't there and the weather situation remains complex over the coming days. Next up - the Canary Islands.

Note - the winner of the Barcelona World Race is the first to return to the finishing line off Barcelona - on elapsed time - regardless of number of stage wins.

A total of eight gates will break the course down to nine portions, but the overall result will nevertheless remain on elapsed time - the prizes awarded at each gate will have no bearing on the final result overall result. The winner of the Barcelona World Race is the first to return to the finishing line off Barcelona - on elapsed time - regardless of number of stage wins.

Day 5 - November 15, 16:00 GMT - Position report with distance to leader

1. PRB - Vincent Riou / Sebastien Josse - 0.0
2. Paprec-Virbac 2 - Jean Pierre Dick / Damian Foxall - 2.0
3. Estrella Damm - Guillermo Altadill / Jonathan Mckee - 50.9
4. Temenos 2 - Dominique Wavre / Michele Paret - 64.9
5. Mutua Madrilena - Javier Sanso / Pachi Rivero - 83.9
6. Veolia Environnement - Roland Jourdain / Jean Luc Nelias - 84.0
7. Delta Dore - Jeremie Beyou / Sidney Gavignet - 90.6
8. Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson / Andrew Cape - 100.2
9. Educacion Sin Fronteras - Servane Escoffier / Albert Bargues - 176.6

www.barcelonaworldrace.org

OC VISIONARY
A brief excerpt from an interview in TheDailySail.com with Mark Turner:

While the Velux 5 Oceans competitors had the stuffing knocked out of them within 48 hours of the race start, there hasn't been a race since the Vendee Globe in 1996 when competitors have been severely hammered in the Southern Ocean. Part of the issue back then was that Open 60s had a very low angle of vanishing stability (AVS) and showed a tendency to invert and remain upside down, profoundly stable on their wide flat decks. While their class association IMOCA was quick to legislate against that (resulting in narrow boats with rounder decks and bigger cabins tops for the 2000-1 Vendee Globe) modern day Open 60s potentially have another issue over their 'dynamic stability' ie how far they go over when they are being rolled.

Turner acknowledges that the present generation of Open 60 are not better than the older boats in terms of this. "Fortunately everyone has spotted that and there is a backstop in the rule with a dynamic AVS number, but in reality it is probably not high enough. There was a minimum put in place that corresponded to the worst case boat three years ago. That number can move independently of the static AVS. People acknowledged that maybe we had let that line go too far. So that is fairly concerning going forward."

The other potential issue is over keels. In the Vendee Globe keels fell off Ecover and Skandia, while Roland Jourdain's Sill et Veolia retired with 'issues' over her carbon foil. The reason for these failures still seems less than 100% certain. "If it were a rule thing IMOCA would have done something about it, but it is not that simple," says Turner. "As Volvo found out - it is not necessarily about a rule protecting it, because if there's a rule people will try to find ways around it."

Full interview on www.thedailysail.com

ANEN/HEEMSKERK WIN 17TH ARUBA HEINEKEN CATAMARAN REGATTA
On Thursday morning November 15th, three possible winning crews sailed off Palm Beach for the final race of the 17th Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. After a long course with three sausages and two triangles, Eduard Zanen and Mischa Heemskerk (NED) took the bullet and the overall victory. Gunnar Larsen and Bastiaan Tentij (NED) managed to finish third just one spot ahead of Wouter Samama and Sam Frank (NED). Both teams are tied on points, but Larsen/Tentij became second overall on count back. Thomasch and Hankart (AUT) won in the small class of slower catamarans.

This year's class of slower catamarans (8 entries) was dominated by good old participant Manfred Thomasch from Austria and Henk Hankart from Aruba. They took all ten bullets with their Dart 18. -- Diana Bogaards

Top five fast catamarans after 10 races and two discards:
1. NED - Zanen/Heemskerk, F18 Nacra Infusion, 17 points
2. NED - Larsen/Tentij, F18 Nacra Infusion, 20
3. NED - Samama/Frank, F18 Hobie Tiger, 20
4. NED - Pols/Veenstra, F18 Nacra Infusion, 29
5. GBR - Gummer/Bogaards, F18 Capricorn, 35

Top three slower catamarans after 10 races and two discards:
1. AUT - Thomasch/Hankart, Dart 18, 8 points
2. ARU - Grijpma/Ren, Sil & Mark, Prindle 19, 19
3. ARU - Valize/Hoek, 32

www.arubaregatta.com

GIPSY MOTH IV: STAR OF THE WHYTE & MACKAY EARLS COURT BOAT SHOW
The all-new Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show isn't just about exciting shows andChristmas shopping, it's shining with stars from sailing past, present and future. See Sir Francis Chichester's world-famous Gipsy Moth IV; watch Dee Caffari live by satellite in her first Transatlantic race; Michael Perham - the Transat Kid - auctions Cheeky Monkey; Gigi, the Cape Horn-rounding Contessa 32 takes a newly restored bow. There's the National Maritime Museum's Hall of Fame, the Steve Curtis Power Boat Display, good food, Guinness and much, much more. The all-new Whyte & Mackay Earls Court Boat Show: you can't beat boating in the heart of London!

www.earlscourtboatshow.com

TRANSATLANTIC MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP
Porto Cervo, Italy: An international fleet of maxi yachts, representing seven nations - Barbados, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Monaco and Norway - is preparing to head to Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain) for the start of the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007, which ends in St. Maarten. The event, promoted by the International Maxi Association (IMA) and organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) with the collaboration of Real Club Nautico de Tenerife and St. Maarten Yacht Club, is open to monohull sailing yachts of 18 metres (59 feet) and above racing under IRC handicap.

Racing is due to start on 26th November while most of the fleet will arrive in Tenerife four to five days earlier in order to complete registrations and make their final preparations prior to the start. The Spanish island is preparing to give owners and crews a fitting send-off with a series of receptions, parties and activities in addition to more technical appointments such as the skipper's briefing scheduled for 25th November.

A wide range of maxis will be competing: from the largest boat in the fleet, the 35 metre (115 foot) Sojana (GBR) owned by Peter Harrison, to the smallest, the 21 metre (70 foot) Mini-Maxi Blue Pearl (GBR) skippered by Anders Johnson, and from the brand new 2007-launched Fado (ITA), chartered by Bernd Kortuem and skippered by Marcello Iacuzzi and Julie Marie (GER), to the 13-year-old Nariida (NOR), owned by Morten Bergesen.

The participating yachts will be battling it out for a variety of trophies including the YCCS Trophy for the first yacht across the line in real time and the IMA (International Maxi Association) Challenge Trophy for the highest-placed IMA Member on corrected time. The Rolex Trophy and timepiece will go to the overall winner based on IRC handicap.

A satellite tracking system will monitor each yacht's progress for the duration of the regatta and can be accessed for viewing at www.yccs.it

LETS DO IT GALWAY - VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2008-2009 - PORT STOPOVER MANAGER
Company : Lets Do It Galway
Type of Employment : 18 month contract - start date Jan 1st 2008
Remuneration : Salary + Bonus - executive level
Location : Galway, Ireland

LDIG require a Port Stopover Manager to lead a senior team for the Galway stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. You will provide direction and leadership to management team and understand the dynamics of the Volvo Ocean Race & shore side requirements.

Key experience required:

Have a proven track record of delivering complex sporting events including the liaison with government bodies.Have worked for more than three (3) years in a senior management capacity with a major international sporting event, working with the local government and event stakeholders.

To apply for full job spec and details please email Jennifer.Glynn@cpl.ie

HONOUR ON THE LINE
The script has been written for an epic battle in the 63rd Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race with four titans vying for line honours, a "turbo-charged'' Aussie boat chasing history and a former Wallaby gearing up to tackle his most formidable opponent - the infamous Bass Strait.

Heading the fleet is dual winner Wild Oats, which has its sights set on repelling a pair of foreign raiders and winning the race for a record-equalling third time, in record time.

Skipper Mark Richards yesterday revealed the high-tech 98-footer - which has hit a top speed of 37 knots - will be significantly faster than in her two previous campaigns thanks to 20 per cent more sail area.

"We are fully turbo-charging the boat for line honours,'' said Richards, who steered Wild Oats to its 1day 18hr 40min 10sec record in 2005. "The spinnaker alone will be 200sqm bigger and all in all we'll have 20 per cent more sail area.

"I can see the record being smashed. If we had a dream run like Nokia did in 1999 we would knock 10 hours off the record.''

Wild Oats must hold off the UK glamour Leopard of London, the New Zealand super maxi Maximus and the Victorian 98-footer Skandia to match Morna's 1946-1948 feat in claiming three successive wins.

Wild Oats will make a late dash for the line with her new mast - a replacement for the one which toppled over the side in a recent European regatta - to be fitted later this month and the boat to be back on the water in race mode just three weeks before the race start. -- Amanda Lulham

More at: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22752985-5001023,00.html

PRIZE WINNING CONCEPT BOAT
A futuristic concept boat has won first prize in the IDA 2007 Design Competition. Volitan is designed to be as eco-friendly as possible, using a mixture of sails, wind power and podded engines, the latter driven by solar powered batteries.

Drs Hakan Gursu & Sozum Dooan from Turkish design bureau Designnobis said operation of the boat would be computer controlled throughout. It would be able to operate safely in up to 60-knot winds, and would live up to its name which means 'flying fish'. -- Motor Boat Monthly

www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20071015185657mbmnews.html

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* From David Taylor: The sailors of Ballyholme YC, best cat venue in Europe, fully support Digby in his challenge to join the Olympic blazer brigade. His main qualification apart from being one of the good guys is that he looks cool in double breasted jackets. He will one day reach the summit when wearing silly hats becomes an Olympic Sport as we have film of him at his sartorial best. From the disappointed cat sailors of BYC, hey we were never going to the Olympics but we could dream.

THE LAST WORD
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. -- Nelson Henderson

The first ones are in - Durban has about 40 miles to go. Get down to the Marina and see what value the sport of sailing brings to a port.

Please take some photos for us.

I think this information belongs more properly in the Shebeen/Sports section on its own thread.

I think this information belongs more properly in the Shebeen/Sports section on its own thread.

i disagree. the marina and its activities are an integral part of the redevelopment of the vitoria embankment.

I agree with Water Rat here. It is an integral part..

Yes Water Rat it seems you are always around this area and The Point area, Would it be possible for you to get a couple of shots for us? Just to keep us updated? Would be great mate.

But this is a sporting event we're discussing. Every other thread in this section is devoted to a specific construction project or group of projects.The marina is obviously integral to the Embankment as a whole. But this race doesn't include physical improvements to the marina or the Embankment. There's no construction, no development, just a large sailing race. Important as that might be to the community and to the yacht clubs, the race is not a project.

We've always discussed news about a particular event in the Shebeen/Sports section. That's why it exists. Rugby, football, etc. are all discussed there. Sailing is no different. Also, if someone unfamiliar with this thread were to look for information on the race, he wouldn't find it. He would likely look in the sporting section, because that is the most logical place for news on a sporting event. News posted here remains 'hidden' to a casual site user.

I agree with Water rat and Luf here. The race should be covered here given how it's transformed the yacht clubs (Royal and Point) and spurred upgrades. Luf (and anyone else wanting pics of Africa's only stop in the only round-the-world yacht race), your wish is my command...

In short, the atmosphere on Sunday (by which time all the yachts had arrived) was amazing. Very festive. Apparently, last year all the clippers voted Durban their favourite stop-over, largely because of how the municipality went out of its way to welcome and entertain them (this year all the yachts were greeted upon arrival by Zulu dancers, live DJ etc). Also, there was excellent branding of the city, as you'll see.

Below, some pics of the amazing transformation the marina has undergone for the race (repaving, benches, etc). Can you imagine what this place will look like with the proposed R200m - R1b waterfront?? In my opinion, the Durban marina waterfront (just to distinguish it from the Point Waterfront) offers the best skyline backdrop in Africa.

See for yourself...


Durban clipper in the foreground...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper097a.jpg


Notice the paved area and tables. Proposed new Marina will take this to a whole new level ..

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper096a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper102a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper109a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper108a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper095a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper064a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper017a.jpg

Durban's fantabulous skyline from the Marina...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper079a.jpg


All the main CBD monsters visible...

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper082a-1.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper076a-1.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper069a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper099a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper124a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper120a.jpg

Great colours. Great weather. Thanks for the pictures, Jerome. (Despite my feelings on where they belong!:lol:) The place looked good! And so does the City's logo on the banners.

Brilliant stuff Jerome, I was out of town this weekend, otherwise I would have been there! I also wanted to go see our Navy ships as they were ported in our harbour last week because they were doing training just off our coast.

Jerome, please make sure that you post pics as often as you can and try to get the street photos PLEASE.

Your photos are wonderful and very attractive. The place is beutiful and I wish that I was there.

Great mate, thank you! Looked like a great day..
Keep the photos rolling. Will be in Durbs on sunday so ill post alot too.

Just look at this ones. My body is filled with excitement.

To be honest, everytime I check the site today I have been coming to this thread to check this photos out.


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper108a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper124a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper102a.jpg

Thanks for the positive comments, guys. I have many more gorgeous photos of Durbs and will be posting in the days / weeks to come (now that I know how to post!)...

Awesome pics thanks! Im so glad the city has made a big deal about this and given all the boats a great welcome. This is good PR - strike that one up for yet another event handled well by the city (best A1 GP ... etc etc).

Beautiful pictures.

Mike, whats happening with all the Esplenade towers that were due to happen (40F mixed use and 32F grinrod tower)?

Cheers

Here's a couple more showing more of the skyline (South end of CBD) and more of the clippers and their proximity to Cafe Fish (which, by the way, has a superb location).

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper088a.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc160/ja65sin/Clipper062a.jpg

Mike, whats happening with all the Esplenade towers that were due to happen (40F mixed use and 32F grinrod tower)?

Cheers

Grinrod is still progressing. they are tearing down an adjacent building for the development, so are stuck in the planning world...lovely place to be...

The other indian backed tower i have not heard anymore on in about 6 months, so cant comment, they might also be stuck in planning mess trying gain bulk

But this is a sporting event we're discussing. Every other thread in this section is devoted to a specific construction project or group of projects.The marina is obviously integral to the Embankment as a whole. But this race doesn't include physical improvements to the marina or the Embankment. There's no construction, no development, just a large sailing race. Important as that might be to the community and to the yacht clubs, the race is not a project.

We've always discussed news about a particular event in the Shebeen/Sports section. That's why it exists. Rugby, football, etc. are all discussed there. Sailing is no different. Also, if someone unfamiliar with this thread were to look for information on the race, he wouldn't find it. He would likely look in the sporting section, because that is the most logical place for news on a sporting event. News posted here remains 'hidden' to a casual site user.

i agree with you and will move all of these posts

i agree with you and will move all of these posts

hi Mike - do you know if the City will be sponsoring the event in 2009? Even if they dont sponsor a boat it will be a pity to lose the port call to Cape Town.

For those in the 'know' do you believe that continued hosting of this event will 'fast track' the Esplanade Redevelopment?

I don't know any inside info but I think Durbs will be a port of call for as long as the Municipality sponsors a clipper.

hi Mike - do you know if the City will be sponsoring the event in 2009? Even if they dont sponsor a boat it will be a pity to lose the port call to Cape Town.

For those in the 'know' do you believe that continued hosting of this event will 'fast track' the Esplanade Redevelopment?

The city has not decided yet, and only have to let the event people know during 2009. Personally i think they will keep sponsoring it for they have been the best host port in the previous series and probably this time around too. They also are very keen to keep a year round stream of international events and have at least 7 more in the pipeline for introduction in 2008-2010.

The development will happen, the problem lies with transnet not wanting to release their land just yet. its a bit of a muddle, but hopefully they will streamline it like they did with CT

The city has not decided yet, and only have to let the event people know during 2009. Personally i think they will keep sponsoring it for they have been the best host port in the previous series and probably this time around too. They also are very keen to keep a year round stream of international events and have at least 7 more in the pipeline for introduction in 2008-2010.

The development will happen, the problem lies with transnet not wanting to release their land just yet. its a bit of a muddle, but hopefully they will streamline it like they did with CT

Thanks for the update. Next event is the J22 World Championships which takes place from 12 till 22 December.

...

The city has not decided yet, and only have to let the event people know during 2009. Personally i think they will keep sponsoring it for they have been the best host port in the previous series and probably this time around too. They also are very keen to keep a year round stream of international events and have at least 7 more in the pipeline for introduction in 2008-2010.

The development will happen, the problem lies with transnet not wanting to release their land just yet. its a bit of a muddle, but hopefully they will streamline it like they did with CT

If this doesnt go unchallenged whats to stop sailing and boating in the port? This will result in the marina being closed down and no visiting craft being allowed intoithe port. This will mean that there will be no reason for an investor to buy into the Victoria Embankment development. No good news for boating in Durban ......the SCH is unlikely to happen because the DPDC wont have the money and the current Marina will be closed down....

From Ports & Ships website (http://ports.co.za/news/articles.php)

Durban bans all bay fishing

Is Durban a bay or a port? Is there a difference anyway, you may ask. But that may very well become an issue of some contention after port authorities this week enforced a total ban on fishing from boats on the bay.

The prohibition on fishing in the port of Durban has in fact been in existence for many years and for equally as long has been quietly overlooked by authorities. As a small boy in the 1950s I occasionally went out on the bay to do some fishing with my elders. Post 2004 the National Ports Authority began applying the letter of the law with regards fishing from the wharfside, citing the implementation of the International Ship and Port Security code (ISPS). Fishing continued along the breakwaters at the port entrance but then this came to an end in 2007 with the arrival of construction teams intent on widening the harbour entrance.

During all this period bay fishing from boats continued, as it probably has ever since the area around the bay was first settled in the 1820s and 1830s. But no longer, says port manager Ricky Bhikraj, in a short and terse letter sent out on Monday (25 March) to all recreational boat clubs in the Port of Durban.

“This notification serves to re-iterate that, in the interests of safe, orderly and efficient port working, there is a prohibition on fishing from vessels of every type in the Port of Durban, save with the express written permission of the Harbour Master for ad hoc, pre-approved events.

“Law enforcement agencies have been advised accordingly and compliance will be enforced.”

A number of boating clubs and associations told PORTS & SHIPS yesterday that they had not been engaged in any discussion with the port authority and that the enforcement had come as a great shock and surprise.

“There are several thousand craft registered to use Durban Bay (approximately 2,500 actually) of which 99 percent are for recreational use. Many of those are involved in recreational fishing, at weekends or during the evenings, especially during the summer. This has continued for as long as I can remember,” said one boat club representative.

Another person involved in boating pointed out that boat users were being gradually squeezed by the authorities, including by the city which intends developing the Vetch’s Pier area outside the port entrance as an exclusive high class marina. A large number of clubs using the beach near Vetch’s have been given notice to vacate their clubhouses and will lose the only waveless stretch of beach along the entire KZN coastline.

The city also plans to develop a ‘unified’ marina along the Victoria Embankment, in which the Royal Natal Yacht Club and Point Yacht Club will have to consolidate into a single clubhouse. The development of this venture has been ceded by port authorities to the city which last year called for expressions of interest from developers. Individual boat owners said then they feared they were being squeezed from all sides.

Others call this a creeping authoritarianism by securocrats

No-one from the clubs want to be identified at this stage, nor would anyone spoken to indicate what action is likely, saying it was still too early and that they hadn’t had time to meet with members. One thing is certain however – the last word on this matter is unlikely to have been heard.


The Mercury Today

Ban on all boat fishing in harbour
March 28, 2008 Edition 2

BRONWYN GERRETSEN

THE National Ports Authority is to enforce a rule prohibiting fishing from "vessels of every type" in the port of Durban, it says in a notification sent to all recreational boating clubs this week.

The notice, dated March 25, has outraged many boat fishermen.

Many called The Mercury, claiming there had been no consultation before enforcement of the rule was announced.

The notification said the prohibition was in the interests of "safe, orderly and efficient port working". It added that law enforcement agencies had been advised accordingly and the rule would be enforced.

People in the shipping industry believe the rule is being enforced to comply with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), but they said there were issues more important to port security than "bullying" fishermen.

The Mercury's shipping correspondent, Terry Hutson, said the law had "always been there" in that people needed to get permission to fish, but it had never been enforced. In fact, fishing competitions were often held in the harbour.

With 2 500 boats registered in the harbour about half of them motor boats which could be used for fishing Hutson said many people would be disappointed with the prohibition as fishing there was a popular pastime, especially at weekends.

Security

A source in the shipping industry said using the security code to prohibit fishing was a "cop out" as Durban had the highest number of stowaways in Africa and was "definitely not a secure port".


He said fishermen only sailed their boats in the harbour once they were registered. Furthermore, armed policemen checked fishermen for weapons.

"How can the port be ISPS-compliant when it has the highest number of stowaways?

Preventing fishing is just window-dressing. They can bully a couple of fishermen just to show the rest of the world they're compliant," he said.

Mike Higgs, a Pinetown boat dealer who supplies fishing boats, said the ports authority should not have made the decision alone.

Kathy Poulter, former commodore of the Bluff Yacht Club, said the ruling was "a great pity" and she hoped Durban fishermen would unite and appoint a delegation to meet the ports authority.

"There must be a solution. If the reason is because of the ISPS code then I think they are taking it a little too seriously. Maybe there is a lot of international pressure being placed on them," she said.

Poulter said that, apart from recreational fishing, many people fished for subsistence.

Avid boat fisherman Ismail Suder said there were hundreds of boat fishermen in the harbour regularly. He asked what they should now do with their boats, many of which cost tens of thousands of rands.

bronwyn.gerretsen@inl.co.za

i remeber many years ago an indian fisherman who was fishing off the sand bank was chomped by a shark and lost his leg so there is deffinalty big stuff in the harbour.
Strange you can fish off and the beachfront piers (and cause filth for tourists to see) but no fishing in the harbour even off a boat??
I agree with ratty its stupid and in no way effects security

I was windsurfing in the harbour a few years back and a fisherman near me pulled in a shark! Was rather hair-raising at the time, but then again the sharks basically hang around by the fishing boats feeding of the scraps.

Unlikely that they will be able to prevent all fishing - thats like stopping hawkers in the streets, just a matter of time before they come back. Most bay fishing is from people who actually need the fish to eat and not for recreation, as that lot generally go offshore.

I think the bigger issue is the consolidated Vic Embankment marina which has been touted for goodness knows how long.... (Think I first heard about it while I was at PYC around 2002!)

Mate thats one of the last versions of the Vic Embankment, I remember back in the early 80s a scheme that basically replaced the sandbank with towers right in the harbour, stunning scheme

Durban has had many stunning proposals that would alter the skyline and make it iconic from what I remember, but they've always been just that, proposals and they all seem to die before even going anywhere. Its a bit sad because Durban has the potential to be an even more stunning city than it is already.

^^ yes and the current pause on the VIC is due to the city and transnet not agreeing on a common way forward, transnet want to wait a few more years, while the city wants action already. the problem is they both hold pockets of land and need to consolodate them for anything to happen, neither can go it alone.

^^ yes and the current pause on the VIC is due to the city and transnet not agreeing on a common way forward, transnet want to wait a few more years, while the city wants action already. the problem is they both hold pockets of land and need to consolodate them for anything to happen, neither can go it alone.

hi Dysan - any news on progress? bad news is that the Catalina has closed down.......this is not good because the Cat attracted a lot of people down to Wilsons who would otherwise not have gone there.

Water Rat, since you are the man in the know, could you tell me if the old BAT centre is still the hive of activity that it used to be? I remember going to see the art there on the odd occasion and it really was a brilliant little initiative to uplift the people involved. I also remember as a kid being able to climb onto one of the tugs that was moored there probably as part of the museum... (actually, was there ever a museum aspect?)

BTW, for all the others, it is an arts / cultural / conference complex in the area of PYC & Wilsons Wharf etc.
Just found the website so kind-of answered the question ..... (silly!)
:crazy:
http://www.batcentre.co.za/

Yip the BAT centre is still going and the Catalina hasn't closed yet. They're still in negotiations with Ithala. Apparently there's already another tenant lined up though.

Yeah Catalina is not closed. Sadly if they cant afford to stay they need to go. I agree that they do play a very important role in abstract theatre in Durban, however i go to wilsons whalf alot and the theatre does not influence my decision to go there, the view does. I think that if a way to keep them can be found then that is great.

^^ yes and the current pause on the VIC is due to the city and transnet not agreeing on a common way forward, transnet want to wait a few more years, while the city wants action already. the problem is they both hold pockets of land and need to consolodate them for anything to happen, neither can go it alone.

yip. transnet does that in other cities too. they own strategic parcels of land and are too selfish to come to an agreement to benefit cities.

^^ or shortsighted... most of the time they just dont know what they want

^^ or shortsighted... most of the time they just dont know what they want

hi Dysan - just wondering if you have any news on any progress with this development .........

really wish i did mate! the most i know is the legal battle between the two stakeholders. I think this new port city forum as part of the maritime cluster will help things tremendously, but dont expect any action around here for at least 3 or so years

really wish i did mate! the most i know is the legal battle between the two stakeholders. I think this new port city forum as part of the maritime cluster will help things tremendously, but dont expect any action around here for at least 3 or so years

thanks for the update.

really wish i did mate! the most i know is the legal battle between the two stakeholders. I think this new port city forum as part of the maritime cluster will help things tremendously, but dont expect any action around here for at least 3 or so years
This is sad.

Its what happens when you have to deal with Transnet

Its what happens when you have to deal with Transnet

Transnet should be one of the contributors to all these good developments that are planned but indtead they fvck everyone up. They do not wanna realease a land used by Taxis in Jozi CBD just off Nelson Mandela Bridge and they've leased it to the municipality for 3 years, what is wrong with this fvckers? They also didn't wana sell one of their buildings located within Park Station Precinct to JDA but they leave it to delapidate. :bash:

yip they a work unto their own hey. They have different views to the city on what to do at Victoria embankment, and because they each own interconnected pockets of land, neither can develop on their own, it has to be a joint venture to use all land, or transnet needs to transfer to city

yip they a work unto their own hey. They have different views to the city on what to do at Victoria embankment, and because they each own interconnected pockets of land, neither can develop on their own, it has to be a joint venture to use all land, or transnet needs to transfer to city

my understanding is that the City and Transnet are very close to reaching an agreement.

That will be great Ratty, are they gonna demolish the existing structure or they will just be revamping. I just with that it can be something which will change the face of Durbs in just 12 months provided the appropriate resources are acquired for this project. To me it looked like it just need an upgrade instead of total demolition, but you guys might know more.

the plans were not over the top and extravagent. low rise 2-3F developments stretching from the BAT centre to wilsons whalf. A bit of harbour reclamation for developing a boutique hotel and expansions to the number of berths for the yachts. Simple, but rather elegant from the old designs i saw.

Good news Ratty that they close to getting somewhere

Thanks Mike, so that means that if construction starts my at least April next year then it should be done by 2010 SWC? If that is the case, Transnet must pull finger out of its ass and act quicker.

^^ its not a key 2010 city project. I really dont see it being ready by 2010 with all the EIA and the like they will need to do

Also, I would prefer a R1 billion development, even if it takes 3-4 years to complete, rather than a R20 m development they can finish in a year just so that the city has "something" for 2010. We've waited all this time; we can wait a little longer if the end result is going to be something awesome. That area has too much potential to rush something through that won't be good for the city in the long run. I certainly hope the city and Transnet come to an agreement.

I spent a few hours at Wilsons Wharf last night and that place is unbeatable at night with the views. I would like to see the entire strip from BAT Centre to Wilson's wharf developed with retail, eating houses, and hotels. I just wish that damn rail rack wasn't in the way. If I was the city and had unlimited funds, I would sink that railway line underground and open the land up to the pavement on Vic Embankment to development.

^^ that would be awesome cos they cant get of the line though as it feeds the car terminal

I hear Transnet so let's hope for the best.

^^ that would be awesome cos they cant get of the line though as it feeds the car terminal

hey Dysan - any news re this project?

hey Dysan - any news re this project?

does anyone have anything on the Victoria Embankment?

sadly the court proceedings have not changed and still have not taken place

The city has not decided yet, and only have to let the event people know during 2009. Personally i think they will keep sponsoring it for they have been the best host port in the previous series and probably this time around too. They also are very keen to keep a year round stream of international events and have at least 7 more in the pipeline for introduction in 2008-2010.

The development will happen, the problem lies with transnet not wanting to release their land just yet. its a bit of a muddle, but hopefully they will streamline it like they did with CT

The word i have from Clipper is that the next Clipper event will not be coming to Durban .....

quote

I am sure word will have got through to you that we have been told the city will not be supporting the race. Obviously a great shame all round but we fully appreciate there are great difficulties at present. As a result we are making alternative arrangements which will be to visit some place to the west of you!

As you know we have a very soft spot for Durban after a long association and hopefully the wheel will turn the full circle in time. We all understand each other..........

unquote

check out the Marina today.The PYC will be hosting the NSRI Barrel race, an event to raise funds for the NSRI. Hopefully there will be a good turn out....:cheers:

was great weatherm hope there were some crowds

check out the Marina today.The PYC will be hosting the NSRI Barrel race, an event to raise funds for the NSRI. Hopefully there will be a good turn out....:cheers:

Ratty, post some pictures if you took any.

The NSRI is a really amazing organisation and to think that they are all volunteers. Hope they day went well and a lot of money raised.

Ratty, post some pictures if you took any.

The NSRI is a really amazing organisation and to think that they are all volunteers. Hope they day went well and a lot of money raised.

60 boats joined the sailpast and over 100k has been raised for the NSRI....

letter in todays Tribune:

Special folk staff NSRI
March 22, 2009 Edition 1


In all communities we come across people prepared to put their own lives at risk to assist others.

The NSRI is staffed by such people. What makes them special is that the rescue crews are volunteers who give up their own time to provide a world-class sea rescue service.

Those rescued include merchant seamen, commercial and recreational fishermen, bathers, surfers, paddlers, yachtsmen, even climbers who get stuck on cliffs around our stormy shores.

Cynics will say they are adrenaline junkies. Having seen the look of satisfaction on the faces of crew that have just saved someone's life, I can bear testimony that these individuals are motivated by a desire to save the lives of others.

So next time you see someone collecting money for the NSRI, think of the men and women who put their lives on the line to make ours safer.

Chris Sutton

sadly the court proceedings have not changed and still have not taken place

From a little trip to Durban I have only heard positive things about this development. The dates being thrown around are 2012 to start work. Its the usual issue of freeing up the land but theres more chance of this happening than Culemborg being freed up in Cape Town.

sadly the court proceedings have not changed and still have not taken place

hi Dysan - please remind us what the court proceedings are about; is this to do with the dipute between Transnet and the City regarding the land?

^^ yes, they both own pockets that interlink and neither can proceed with their ideals for the area on the own. The city is demanding land that it owned that was expropriated years ago by the national gov and never used, and transnet are demanding a ridiculous sum for it and saying they want to control the development while the city want it done by private enterprise...

thats it in a nut shell

^^ yes, they both own pockets that interlink and neither can proceed with their ideals for the area on the own. The city is demanding land that it owned that was expropriated years ago by the national gov and never used, and transnet are demanding a ridiculous sum for it and saying they want to control the development while the city want it done by private enterprise...

thats it in a nut shell

Is it a city issue or provincial land issue?

city vs transnet - no provincial involvement

city vs transnet - no provincial involvement

Transnet :bash:


:badnews:

Eish.

the plans were not over the top and extravagent. low rise 2-3F developments stretching from the BAT centre to wilsons whalf. A bit of harbour reclamation for developing a boutique hotel and expansions to the number of berths for the yachts. Simple, but rather elegant from the old designs i saw.

Good news Ratty that they close to getting somewhere

hi Dysan - i hear that development is going to start soon. Any news from your end?

Will ask my mates at NPA.......thats if they answer, they always act so busy :ohno:

Hey Ratty... not heard anything more from my side, will chat with some mates this weekend to see if they have any knowledge. If the city and Transnet have reached a compromise out of the courts then i will be truly happy!

Hey Ratty... not heard anything more from my side, will chat with some mates this weekend to see if they have any knowledge. If the city and Transnet have reached a compromise out of the courts then i will be truly happy!


the clubs have been told that development of the mole will begin this year. apparently sand, dredged off the T jetty, will be used to start the reclaimation.

GREAT news, Ratty. I hope this is true. Thanks for sharing.

Just to remind people, this was the state of affairs in late 2006. This outlines the disagreement the city has/had with Transnet.

--------------------

eThekweni plans huge waterfront development over 25 years
August 2, 2006

By Samantha Enslin

Durban - Over the next 25 years the eThekwini municipality hopes to develop port land from the harbour mouth to Wilson's Wharf into a waterfront, which will include a car terminal site, city terminal and even a coal terminal.

But the city's most pressing plans, which have been four years in the making, are to develop boutique hotels, restaurants and retail outlets between the Bat Centre and Wilson's Wharf ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

Julie-May Ellingson, the head of strategic projects for the eThekwini municipality, said last week: "Long-term plans for leisure developments on a 20- to 25-year scenario include the coal terminal, the city and the car terminal."

For its immediate plans the city hopes to issue the tender for the design and development of the R100 million Victoria Embankment waterfront by the end of the year.

The city was trying to create a public space from an area that was currently a semiprivate space, mostly managed by yachting clubs, Ellingson said. But this hinges on a final deal being struck with Transnet, which owns the land.

The waterfront project, first proposed in 2002, has completed an environmental impact assessment but was delayed due to wrangling with Transnet over the value of the land.

Ellingson said Transnet had valued the land and the water as commercial property, which would have substantially raised the rental and made a waterfront unviable. "Transnet's approach was to maximise their return."

But the city's argument that the land be priced from a developmental perspective seems to be winning ground with Transnet. Through the Transnet eThekwini municipality port initiative, or project Tempi, the two parties are now planning jointly in an attempt to accommodate their respective objectives.

A waterfront, which would boost the city's profile as a tourist destination, could create 100 000 jobs. Project Tempi is thrashing out the role of the port in terms of what cargo it should be handling and the interface with the city.

For Transnet, helping the city to realise its ambitions will garner it support for its expansion plans on the south side of the port.

Mike Sutcliffe, eThekwini's city manager, said: "Everything Transnet does will impact on the city. The big issue we are discussing in the short term is the relocation of the car terminal, in the medium term, the expansion into Bayhead and in the long term, a dugout port at the airport site."

Transnet plans to develop Bayhead into a container terminal able to handle 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units a year. This is subject to negotiations with tenants and an environmental impact assessment. It would add eight berths by 2013 at a cost of between R15 billion and R20 billion.

Sutcliffe said the dugout port being mooted for the current Durban international airport site was just one option.

"Another option is the expansion of petrochemical businesses already in the area. But whatever we do there will most likely be a decision made at a national level," he said.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=561&fArticleId=3370815

Then, 18 months ago....

--------------------

Port authority gauges appetite for Durban waterfront precinct
January 11, 2007

By Samantha Enslin

Durban - The National Ports Authority (NPA) and the eThekwini municipality want to gauge investors' appetite for a commercial precinct at the Durban port in order to establish the pricing for the development.

In an advertisement republished yesterday, developers have been asked to register their interest in a waterfront development ahead of a tender process being initiated.

Julie-May Ellingson, the head of strategic projects at the municipality, said: "We are testing the market to establish what investment developers would be prepared to make and what returns they would expect over what time period."

The development on a 20 000m2 site could include offices, restaurants, retailers and possibly a hotel.

"The development plan done in 2002 caters for a boutique hotel. But with 10 new hotels going up in the city now we may need a relook at that," she said.

Transnet and the city have been negotiating on this priority development for 12 months.

The negotiations are part of Project Tempi (Transnet-eThekwini Municipality Port Initiative), which is aimed at jointly planning port projects.

The site earmarked for the waterfront is owned by Transnet through the NPA, which owns all port land in South Africa. This site is leased to the city council and is being used by yacht clubs.

The stumbling blocks in talks between Transnet and the council include determining the value of the land and the length of the lease for the waterfront development.

Transnet, which is focused on freight, wants to maximise returns on its prime port land.

Last year Transnet sold its interest in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town for R7 billion. The proceeds will be used to beef up rail capacity.

John Dludlu, the parastatal's spokesperson, said: "Our strategy to turn Transnet into a focused transport and logistics company remains unchanged.

"The invitation for registrations of interest regarding the Victoria Embankment waterfront is in line with our strategy of optimising the development of the port with the City of Durban. The NPA and the City of Durban are looking at a variety of solutions for the area and the registration of interest will form part of a feasibility study," Dludlu said.

Expressions of interest need to be submitted by January 23.

The project is likely to cost about R200 million, of which half would cover the reclamation of land from the harbour.

The funding could be a joint venture between the private sector and the city.

The city wants a tender document out within three months so that the development can be completed within five years.

Ellingson said: "The project is long overdue. The site is not being used to its maximum potential. If we want to get this done then we need to get going."

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3621483

Well good to see midget has ants in her pants about this one :okay:

Hey Ratty... not heard anything more from my side, will chat with some mates this weekend to see if they have any knowledge. If the city and Transnet have reached a compromise out of the courts then i will be truly happy!

hey Dysan - just wondering if you have any news on this one?

Hey guys, sorry i been a bit slow with info of late.

All i have managed to dig up the past few days is that the scope of the overall plan has changed somewhat with the city wanting to maximise value from the small land holdings they have. They are now looking to develop the same stretch as before, but with a greater FAR and the development of two "bookend" towers, one on each end of the development precinct. These would be in the range of 16-24F.

Also, the entry points would be on the north and south of the development, to limit the effects on the current railway line, thus two bridges over the tracks. A holding parking lot will be developed near the customs house on the north end and a large multistorey development on the existing open parking at Wilsons whalf. (this will incorporate the southern tower and retail areas that interact with the current development. There may also be plans to expand the number of jettys at wilsons (much needed!!))

Thats all for now

That's plenty. It all sounds very promising. Let's hope they all eventually occur. Thanks for sharing.

Hey guys, sorry i been a bit slow with info of late.

All i have managed to dig up the past few days is that the scope of the overall plan has changed somewhat with the city wanting to maximise value from the small land holdings they have. They are now looking to develop the same stretch as before, but with a greater FAR and the development of two "bookend" towers, one on each end of the development precinct. These would be in the range of 16-24F.

Also, the entry points would be on the north and south of the development, to limit the effects on the current railway line, thus two bridges over the tracks. A holding parking lot will be developed near the customs house on the north end and a large multistorey development on the existing open parking at Wilsons whalf. (this will incorporate the southern tower and retail areas that interact with the current development. There may also be plans to expand the number of jettys at wilsons (much needed!!))

Thats all for now

thanks - any chance of letting me know when i can sight the plans - sounds exciting and hopefully this time the yacht clubs will embrace the development. they recognize that they need to move and are currently working on plans to amalgamate. it makes sense that they occupy one building on the recreational node. whilst sailing is still popular in Durban one united club will better serve the interests of the sailing community. If the city makes sure they have them on board this dev will be a lot more positive that the sch.

^^ yes it seems they are already working together. They have plans afoot to stop yachts just sitting for years on end and never leaving the jetty. They say that at present 30% of the yachts in the yacht mole are not sea worthy...they want to institute plans to give 5 year leases with a condition that all yachts are sea worthy and leave the jetty at least once a month...lets see how things progress

^^ yes it seems they are already working together. They have plans afoot to stop yachts just sitting for years on end and never leaving the jetty. They say that at present 30% of the yachts in the yacht mole are not sea worthy...they want to institute plans to give 5 year leases with a condition that all yachts are sea worthy and leave the jetty at least once a month...lets see how things progress

this is a thorny issue which is prevalent in marinas all over the world.my brother in law has a boat in the uk which he moved from Chichester to Totnes when he move towns. He reckons that the uk is littered with boats that are almost derelict. The problem they have is that there is no space to take them out the water, no space in the anchorages, the authorities cant auction them off, the reluctant owners cant even sink them because it is illegal. lets hope that our local people can come up with a workable solution....

Another aspect of the Marina is the increase in the number of visiting yachts. Many of the boats that are circumnavigating are now routing to Europe via the Cape rather than Suez, because of the piracy problem. The situation has become so bad that the Seychelles are a high risk area. Over the years visting boats have sung Durban's praises because of the friendly people, good facilities and close proximity to the City. This latter aspect is pretty unique because a visiting crew can walk to both clubs,Wilsons Wharf, The Bat Centre and various businesses and service in the CBD. The Workshop is very popular because of its range of shops and the nice vibe.

Whilst sailing is not a major sport in SA visting sailors marvel at what we have in Durban ie: good clubs, a safe Marina, warm water, nice weather, a friendly city ( most visiting boats say that South Africans are the freindliest people that they have ever met ) and good facilities. If the City and Club's work together on the VE project we will all win.

^^ totally agree. They also say that 2008 was the best year ever for the number of visiting international yachts. They are also pushing harder on the cruise initiative that they started 3 years ago. The formation of the cruise hub, and transnet now getting involved with a proper cruise terminal and the push in the international cruise industry to start up east africa/indian ocean as a new cruise destination, durban is poised to be a good cruise hub. If they keep working together things can only turn out for the best

hi Dysan - any news on this development? i heard that some reclaimation work was going to start soon. As far as i know the EIR has given the project the green light to proceed. This area is so close to the city centre / cbd that i am sure that once the Embankment development starts it will boost interest.

You been very quite Ratty. That development will definately boost interest.

Hey Ratty, i have not heard anything, will see what i can find

Hey Ratty, i have not heard anything, will see what i can find

machines are on site but not much info on what will be done.....

Machines on site??? That's very promising!

Machines on site??? That's very promising!

i guess it would be even more promising if someone knew what they are up to. Rumor has it that the work does not comply with the terms of the ROD and they are just buying time beacuse said Rod was about to expire. Time will tell!

Hey Ratty, i have not heard anything, will see what i can find

hi Dysan - anthing on this one?

Dysan not around in SA now so probably won't be able to give any updates until back.

Dysan not around in SA now so probably won't be able to give any updates until back.

hi Dysan - are you back? If so trust you had a good spell away. Will be grateful for some news on the VE / mole development.

I visited Cafe Fish on Sunday and noticed that construction (piling into the harbour?) had commenced in front of Point Yaucht Club. Any idea what this is? Definitely construction activity of some sort.

Hi guys
Barry here, from Team Durban - new member to this site. We run the Durban Boat Show, so we're pretty well acquainted with the area around the Durban Marina.
What's going on down there at the moment is the construction of a new car park - the first stage of the re-development of the area. They're putting up a revetment, which is going to extend past the end of the present yacht mole. In January, the area will be filled in with dredged sand, and a new parking area created - should take about 600 cars, apparently, which will be great for the Boat Show, which will now have on-site parking. The dealine for the area to be grassed and have trees planted is the end of March 2010.
The rest of the re-development will only be investigated after the World Cup, so watch this space!
Cheers
Barry

Welcome to the boards, Barry!

Thanks for the info. This is super insightful. Let's hope this development takes off. Vic Embankment is a jem, and is underappreciated and underexploited for its tourism and lesiure potential.

Please keep us posted and feel free to contribute to these forums.

Welcome to SSC, Barry.

Welcome Barry, very interested. Please stick around and keep us updated mate.

welcome Barry, oh well parking lot is a start I suppose, lol.

Interesting to hear. would like to see how the overall development plans have now changed. Its an area with infinite potential. a few hotels and good retail would really go down well. nothing overly big though

Finally we have some more info on this project from the current edition of Business in Durban magazine...

Looks like this area is set to be transformed and that some of the plans submitted a few years back were rather extravagent. Seems the development they will be going ahead with is smaller, but will still have a positive effect on the area and its tourism potential.


http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c128/dysan1/Vic1.jpg



http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c128/dysan1/vic2.jpg



http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c128/dysan1/vic3.jpg

It's great that they are finally moving on this project. I am disappointed that it's not bigger than 10,000 m2, but as the article points out, we are living in a different world, post-recession. Developers and financiers simply don't currently have the appetite for major projects. Even if its smaller in scale that what I'd hoped, I will be thrilled if the development eventually does for the harbourfront what the beachfront upgrade has done for the Golden Mile.

^^ i think you are maybe missing the point. Its smaller mainly due to site access constraints. You have to cross the railway lines to get to this site, anything massive would lead much higher traffic volumes and hence potential problems in this highly restricted area.

Yes i also wish it was larger, but lets wait and see what it actually is over the coming months.

Yes, but I was hoping they would spend hundreds of millions sinking the railways lines and rerouting the street so that they could use that space for something bigger and grander. Ah well, I can still dream, can't I? ;)

haha oh i see...i think that would be a major undertaking that would probably cut the car and break bulk terminals off for a long period...we can all dream cos that would be great

^^ i think you are maybe missing the point. Its smaller mainly due to site access constraints. You have to cross the railway lines to get to this site, anything massive would lead much higher traffic volumes and hence potential problems in this highly restricted area.

Yes i also wish it was larger, but lets wait and see what it actually is over the coming months.

my understanding is that the space would be used as follows:

all recreational stakeholders ( clubs ect ) to be located on the mole. this will incude:

PYC/RNYC/Rowing Club/ Durban BoatOwners ( in one clubhouse ).

all commercial interests to be situated alongside the road ie: where the PYC is currently situated.

Is this still the general plan ?

I think things have altered from the original as the development is set to take place on the newly reclaimed land area. I think we need to wait until more information is released in the coming weeks. But good to see progress

I think things have altered from the original as the development is set to take place on the newly reclaimed land area. I think we need to wait until more information is released in the coming weeks. But good to see progress

exciting times !

where is this newely reclaimed area?

is there any resi in this new plan?

where is this newely reclaimed area?

is there any resi in this new plan?

if resi = residenial i would not recommend it. a colleague is renting in the Spinnakers at the Point and he says that the beeping of the straddle carriers operating at the container terminal, drives him nuts at night. The reclaimed area of the mole is closer to the container terminal.

i think i posted a pic of the newly reclaimed area on this thread some time ago.

where is this newely reclaimed area?

is there any resi in this new plan?

We dont know what the new plan is, all we have is what i posted. But i would highly doubt any residential. Most likely retail with a hotel component

We dont know what the new plan is, all we have is what i posted. But i would highly doubt any residential. Most likely retail with a hotel component

bit noisy for a hotel isnt it. i often sleep on my boat at the marina and you hear a lot of stuff at 3 am .......helicopter ( for the ships pilots ) / tugs / the dreaded 'beep beep' of the staddle carriers ect. wouldnt shops and offices be better in a location like this ?

if resi = residenial i would not recommend it. a colleague is renting in the Spinnakers at the Point and he says that the beeping of the straddle carriers operating at the container terminal, drives him nuts at night. The reclaimed area of the mole is closer to the container terminal.

i think i posted a pic of the newly reclaimed area on this thread some time ago.

what about the thousands of appartments all along the esplinade?

With sufficient double glazing there is no problem

I think things have altered from the original as the development is set to take place on the newly reclaimed land area. I think we need to wait until more information is released in the coming weeks. But good to see progress

hi Dysan - just wondering if any new information has been released ?

not heard anything yet

not heard anything yet

still nothing ?

Nope, dont expect anything in a hurry

Nope, dont expect anything in a hurry

is the plan still for the mole ( including the newly reclaimed land ) to be zoned recreational and the site currently occupied by Point Yacht Club to be zoned commercial ?

Sa Boy's post seems to indicate that the plan is for the mole to become a commercial node ?

^^ from what i have read there will be in the region of 15000m2 of commercial space plus a small boutique hotel of about 40-50 rooms.

Clubs would be incorporated into one building, but from what i gather separate areas for each of the clubs.

However this is what i learnt over a year ago, things may have changed

loads of F&B?

^^ yup, harbour front cafes and stores and some office space.

ok so like kings street wharf in sydney,seperate comm buildings 3 stiries high with ground floor retail

^^ yup thats very much the plan. open squares. treed area's. umbrellas. some chain but preference for more unique cafes. probably a bookstore, few tourist related things. Looking to redo the maritime musuem as part of the attraction. and then of course a healthy supply of offices to keep feet flowing out of busy periods, as will the hotel and conference facilities.

Nothing on the scale of the point, but a in harbour activity node around the yachts

^^ that sounds interesting.

but what corporates/buisness will relocate there ? Maratime obvioulsy but they wont be enough?

but what corporates/buisness will relocate there ? Maratime obvioulsy but they wont be enough?

gotta try and entice some of the legal fraternity to locate there. although many big offices have moved to Gateway some still keep offices in the City to be near the Courts. Grindrod now owns 4 buildings on the corner of Margaret Mcadi and Field -Mansion House / Quadrant House / Grindrod House and Grindrod Mews - so unlikely they will move. there are still the other big shipping shops ( Rennies / Foreshore ect ect ) so plenty of scope.

Well it will only be in the region of 7000m2 of AAA grade space. Vacancies of A grade space in the CBD are at 3% and are at about R95/m2

Well it will only be in the region of 7000m2 of AAA grade space. Vacancies of A grade space in the CBD are at 3% and are at about R95/m2

any educated guesses about when this will start happening ? 0 - 3 / 3 - 5 years ?

I would gather that final plans this year as reclaiming is due to start in Q2 2011. So construction more than likely next year

any pics on the development?

I would gather that final plans this year as reclaiming is due to start in Q2 2011. So construction more than likely next year

wasnt the reclaimation completed last year ie: the 10000 m2 on the mole ?

there are other small pockets between Wilsons Whalf and BAT centre from the original plans, unless these have changed

Came across this image on Airserve. I think it shows the area where part of the new development will sit.

See: http://www.airserv.co.za/pic/wip/maritime_dbn/_DSC1171.jpg

looks like the reclaimed area is being grassed over - contractor on site now.

any updates on this dev Dysan ?

not in the country, dont know anything new

Nope, this isnt high on the agenda for now so no immediate decision will be made soon.

I met with a high ranking municipal official today who told me that this development is currently stagnant. Apparently, Transnet wants the city to outlay the capital for the development, but want to derive the profits once its developed. The city, understandably, is refusing to agree, hence the stalemate.

I met with a high ranking municipal official today who told me that this development is currently stagnant. Apparently, Transnet wants the city to outlay the capital for the development, but want to derive the profits once its developed. The city, understandably, is refusing to agree, hence the stalemate.

i thought that the idea was that Transnet would lease the land to the City and the City would sell development rights to private investors ? in this case wouldnt the majority of capital outlay would come from the private sector ?

Seems like Transnet want to have their cake, and eat it at the same time..

I really fail to see how they think someone would outlay the capital and then not expect to receive at least a very healthy portion of the profits thereafter... there has to be some form of ROI for the capital outlay to make sense.

This is the same issue that has been dragging out for over 3 years now. Transnet have differing plans for the area and only bowed to these plans last year when the city told them they could not use the area for port development. Therefore seems a stalement has been reached.

this stalemate may have something to do with Transnets own plans for the new point cruise terminal and retail/commercial precinct??

this stalemate may have something to do with Transnets own plans for the new point cruise terminal and retail/commercial precinct??

how would T'nets work in Durban compared to the V&A. although very different developments i would have thought that Transnet would act merely as a landlord and leave the buildings ect to the developers to sort out.

Transnet developed the V&A themselves if i am not mistaken in its intial years. If they want to create a hub around their new offices and cruise terminal, then they could see development on the Vic embankment as a hindrance to their own developments success?

Transnet developed the V&A themselves if i am not mistaken in its intial years. If they want to create a hub around their new offices and cruise terminal, then they could see development on the Vic embankment as a hindrance to their own developments success?

i guess it is the City that needs to take the lead if T'net are going to drag their heels. It is my understanding that T'net and the City had settled the dispute over who owns the development rights to the land. Shouldnt T'net concentrate on running ports / airlines / railways and pipelines instead of getting into territory disputes municipalities ?

Nope, nothing is settled hence the court action.

Transnet are heavily involved in property development, their development arm Intersite has massive development tracts all over the country. Most of Springfield/Umgeni Business Park is Transnet owned and managed property.

the grass is growing but no news on potential plans.....

I've heard that the city is stalemated with Transnet on responsibilities re: cost and dividends. Plus, I suspect that with Transnet's proposed HQ, passenger terminal expansion (with retail component) at the Point as its first priority, this project has fallen by the wayside re: possible funding streams and possible competition for tenants. Who knows with Transnet...

Nothing has changed from my last post. Dont expect it to any time soon with Transnet refusing development

The marina already stinks like a sewer. The outfall next to the Point Yacht Club is affectionately known as 'Lavendar Creek'. The stench is so bad at low tide that the club has to close the windows ! How can the city market this area for restuarants, coffee shops and hotels without sorting this out?

The stench from the 'creek' extends into the city. Stand outside Quandrant House or The Bank of Athens on the corner of the Esplanade ( Margaret Mncadi Avenue ) and Field Street at low tide and see what i mean.

9 Jun 2011 The Mercury

Tony Carnie

Durban bay on the brink

AFTER nearly 200 years of sustained human assault, Durban Bay is dying. Scientists say the bay – still considered one of the most important fish-breeding nurseries in the country – has reached a critical “tipping point” where its ecological health balances at the edge of a downward spiral.
The water quality is so poor that it is no longer safe to swim in some parts, while fish, birds, crabs and other plants and animals are losing the resilience to thrive in such a degraded and often-polluted environment.
One of the most serious examples of ecological devastation was the mass fish kill in January, 2008, which left 20 tons of dead fish, crabs and other creatures littering the central sandbanks.
The scientists, commissioned jointly by Transnet, eThekwini and the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs, say Durban Bay has been too badly damaged to restore to a pristine condition, but they are optimistic that its overall health can be improved marginally if a new action plan is put in place.
They hope to take the first step in cleansing the waters at a public meeting in Durban on June 22. They want a wide range of interest groups to contribute ideas and develop a new management plan for the bay.
Nicolette Demetriades, a marine and estuarine ecologist who is co-managing the project, said although the estuary was in a “parlous state”, the good news was that Durban Bay could still be a rich and important fish nursery.
There are only three large estuarine bays along the coast: Durban, Richards Bay and Knysna.
Because of their sheer size and the fact that their mouths are open all year round (whereas many others are often blocked by sandbars), they are the rarest type of estuary system in the country and among the most valuable in providing a large, sheltered environment where young sea fish can grow in relative safety before restocking the sea.
Even after many decades of human-induced degradation, several surveys show that Durban Bay appears to have remained biologically richer than Richards Bay, and the specially protected Lake St Lucia and Kosi Bay estuaries.
However, the water quality has been getting steadily worse over the past few decades because much of the old bay has been filled with sand and concrete to form Africa’s busiest harbour.
This means that some parts of the bay have become stagnant and heavily polluted because the altered shape does not allow water to circulate or be flushed out by sea tides.
Whereas the safe limit for recreational swimming is set at 130 sewage bacteria units per 100ml of water, surveys over recent years showed sewage bacteria readings over more than one million in parts of the harbour – and in some cases, readings of more than 80 million sewage bacteria units near the Point Yacht Club.
Demetriades and fellow estuarine scientist Prof Anthony Forbes said it was vital to curb the volume of sewage, nutrients and other forms of pollution which flowed daily into the harbour from more than 50 stormwater drains around the city – and from three river systems that emptied into the harbour.
Signals
Some of the main potential pollution sources included four eThekwini sewage treatment works and three major industrial areas (Westmead, Mariannhill and Queensmead) located along the banks of the uMbilo, uMhlatuzana and aManzimyama rivers, which all drained into Durban Bay.
Other signals pointing to the worsening ecological health in the bay were the complete disappearance of at least five bird species (including flamingoes), the eradication of sea grasses by the early 1960s and the destruction of 95 percent of mangrove swamps.
Over the past 40 years alone, the abundance of water birds in the bay had plummeted by at least 70 percent.
The size of the original bay had also shrunk by almost a third, from 35km to just 13.5km2 today to build a harbour which now handled 4 500 ships a year.
In a 200-page report published this week by Transnet, the eThekwini municipality and the KZN Environment Department, environmental and legal consultants have also drawn attention to the fragmented control, unco-ordinated management, duplication of effort and “administrative confusion” that characterises the proper management of Durban Bay.
Using polite and measured language, they point out that one of the main obstacles to improving the management of the harbour is the fact that Transnet, eThekwini, the KZN Environment Department and other arms of government need to stop pointing fingers at each other and start working more closely with the public to ensure the future of what used to be a public property and popular recreation space.
Visit www.erm.com/bayof durban or phone Janet Mkhabela of ER at 021 702 9100, or e-mail bayofdurban@erm.com.
Printed and distributed by NewpaperDirect | www.newspaperdirect.com, US/Can: 1.877.980.4040, Intern: 800.6364.6364 | Copyright and protected by applicable law.

Good article. Thanks for posting it. I hope something is done soon. I'm glad to see that the report was commissioned jointly by the city, Transet, and the provincial government. It will take all three of them to sort this out.

Yacht club fights to continue lease
October 5 2011 at 10:19am
By tania broughton
________________________________________

INLSA
The eThekwini municipality wants to cancel the 150-year-old Royal Natal Yacht Club s lease. Picture: Jacques Naude
Tania Broughton
tania.broughton@inl.co.za
THE eThekwini municipality, already locked in litigation with water sport enthusiasts at the Point, has now turned its sights on the Royal Natal Yacht Club, seeking to cancel its lease which, the club says, still has 20 years to run.
In an application before the Durban High Court, the municipality says it wants to put the 150-year-old club – the oldest in Africa – on a monthly lease because this is “important for development and planning”.
But the club, which is opposing the application, says the city has not adequately explained why it is necessary to put all water sports clubs – which are institutions on the yacht mole – on such a precarious basis of tenancy, threatening their security and development.
“It is almost unthinkable that a city like Durban might not have a yacht mole, with associated water sports clubs in close proximity, as a long-term fixture in Durban harbour,” said club commodore Richard Crockett in his affidavit.
City legal adviser Samantha Mahadeo says in her affidavit that the club’s initial leases were signed in 1990 and were for five years at a nominal rent (R100 a year).
The leases continued after expiry of the fixed period, subject to 12 months’ notice of termination by either party.
Mahadeo says the city gave notice terminating the leases on December 1, 2008, stating that the occupation would be by way of a monthly tenancy from December 1, 2009.
She said the city wanted to “achieve a situation where all sub-tenants (the city leases the land from the National Ports Authority) occupy on a similar basis” and while there is no intention to terminate the lease, the need may arise in the future.
However, a dispute has arisen because the club contends its lease was renewed in 1996 for 30 years.
Mahadeo says this renewal, while agreed to, was never formalised because of objections at the time from two councillors and a later resolution of the council to investigate all leases and the possibility of terminating them to “prevent exclusivity and ensure equity”.
“No written renewal was ever signed,” she said.
But Crockett says the objections were never put in writing – as required by a public notice – but were raised orally during a meeting and were thus “invalid”.
“These objections were not received from members of the public who were entitled to react to advertisements; they were attempts by two councillors to have the two councils (the old north and south councils) revisit what had already been decided.”
Crockett said one councillor had said the club was elitist – an allegation he denied “with conviction”.
“While expensive yachts are moored at the yacht mole, there are a great number of yachtsmen who are in no position to buy their own yachts and probably never will be. Their participation in this sport is as crew on yachts owned by others,” he said, adding that membership was open to all.
Crockett said the city was raising for the first time after 15 years the contention that the decision to amend its leases had somehow fallen away.
“The club should not now be prejudiced.The prospect of developing the yacht mole has been under consideration for more than 20 years… to date this has never taken place.”
Speaking to The Mercury about the case, Crockett said: “We were… shocked, to find the city acting in this manner. We have always been open and honest with them in all negotiations, and cannot understand their heavy-handed approach. If they were serious about wanting to resolve this amicably, they should have met us face to face, rather than take the confrontational route. Our door is always open to them.”
The case has yet to be set down for hearing.