Name: Protea Hotel Umhlanga
Location: Umhlanga Village
Use: Mixed use (Hotel and retail)
Floors: 22F (14F new addition)

The Protea Hotel Umhlanga is planning a 13 floor plus penthouse extension costing R125m.

The hotel has applied to increase its Floor area ratio (FAR) from 1.5 to 2.4, the same FAR granted to the ukusa development (Natical pride hotel, impilo) across the street.

The 13-floor extension plus penthouse will consist of an extra 100 rooms, more parking and another conference facility. There will also be an upgrade to the old and outdated facade of the building.

There is a huge need for accomodation in the area as there are currently only 300 rooms in dedicated hotels (other accomodation is part hotel, part timeshare) and they are currently operating at 97% occupancy.

However, once again, the Umhlanga ratepayers action group (URAG) are against the development. And they are objecting to the application, as they do with all applications in Umhlanga (they must have bottomless money pits) They believe the infrastructure is being extended too much and that the village is being destroyed. Sit and chat Pearls, ukusa or this dev with them and they turn red...

am awaiting a render. anything that adds height and more importantly gives a new look to the protea is a big wow for me. also the buxtons centre dev is across the street from this, and the 5 star nautical pride hotel and the 200 odd apartment development Impilo are across the other road. so this intersection is going to be a massiv ehive of activity at the entrance to the village

As long as they can provide the bulk services infrastructure, it's fine. I'm not so much into height as I am changing the look of the Protea and that entire shoppting centre below it. It looks horrible.

Well thats a big focus of the expansion. the existing facade will be completely redone, as will the retail

It dont look all that bad now

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g160/amgosai/Sky%20Scrapercity/DSC00613Large.jpg

I've never liked it. It looks like it belongs in an office park, not in a beach town.

need a render now! hope it follows a classic modern design that follows the trend of the pearls and buxtons revamp

so no one knows where to get a render? even reliable p2bsa??

Nope, got no contacts in Protea, plus dont know who the contractors are, maybe I need to go hit a few golf balls & ask around.

approval has been granted and expansions will commence before year end

Good news.