...East London *Discussion*

[Caisson Boy]

Originally Posted by Durbsboi

Everyone go's & smokes pot at the beach front, that why theres no action there, then when they done & get the munchies, they go to the roudhouse takeaway & order toasted saamie's. Dove next time you there, go to number's night club, some hot honeys go there, & they know how to dance!

I think that figure of 700 000 is for Buffalo City metro, therefore including the impoverished Mdantsane too. Hardly beach front lifestyle in Mdantsane.

[DennisRodman]

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post office in E-london

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Airport in E-London

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East London river port

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Dry dock at the Buffalo River estuary, West Bank, East London, South Africa

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The West Bank area of East London,

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Old church on Buffalo Street, downtown East London

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Old church on Buffalo Street

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Public Library east london

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City Hall

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Racing in East london

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Beach Front E-London

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BoardWalk

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[mikey67]

The pics are great. Thanks for the post!

[DennisRodman]

[mike2005]

no wonder it is called slummies!! looks rather run down and dirty.

[Rushcuz]

well there is some nice places in East london just wish the keep the roads in one piece , well i saw they upgrading the air port also so the planes for it , looks nice , correct me if im wrong but i saw they building a two new shopping malls in east london , finally got really sick of vincent , well at least they also upgrading that mall , the one new mall is on the road to Gonubie , called East coast mall ,the other one i think is at the casino , well not to sure about that but i saw land been cleared there , good news for shoppers

[dysan1]

i thought only one of teh 3 was going to get the go ahead

[HirakataShi]

The Eastern Cape looks like my heaven on Earth and future resting place. I hope to visit at some point so I can decide whether to make a home for myself there. But East London looks like the 20th century leap-frogged right past it. Haven't billions upon billions been spent in the Eastern Cape over the past 10 years?

[Rushcuz]

well ill get some pics of the good side of east london , the modern side and ill get pics of the the malls going up , i also heard now that they are building and upgrading a new n2 from east london to PE , toll road thoe, going alone the coast the , the same road that had 150 pot holes ,

[mikey67]

Artificial sandy beach will crown the new-look EL



But extent of revamp depends on R5bn port upgrade

By TOM MAPHAM
Municipal Reporter

THE first phase of an ambitious four-phase plan to revamp East London’s beachfront – complete with new golden beaches and a yacht harbour – was given the green light yesterday.

Buffalo City Council approved a private bid, reportedly worth more than R600million, to buy land at Marina Glen where a hotel, luxury apartments and shops may now be built.

Hours earlier, architects, town planners and consultants presented the final draft plan to revamp the beachfront on behalf of the municipality’s development arm, the Buffalo City Development Agency (BCDA), to developers and the public for comment.

The development framework, which includes the Marina Glen project, describes local government’s vision for growth in the area between the Esplanade and East London’s main road – the R72.

The scheme is four-pronged. Included in the final phase is a plan to replace the black rocks on East London’s Esplanade and build a pier and yacht harbour that will jut out to sea.

“These are some extreme scenarios just in case things go extremely well,” said Jonathan Manning, an architect from Johannesburg who has consulted on the plan.

The draft version of the entire plan will now go before the BCDA’s board and council for approval.

Louis Roodt, a city planner from Buffalo City Municipality, described the Marina Glen development as “the catalyst” to many of the concepts envisioned being realised.

“This is because developers all want to see something happen before putting their money into an area,” he said.

Another critical aspect is whether Propnet, a subsidiary of Transnet, agrees to sell land surrounding the train station to Buffalo City.

The municipality has already rezoned this central property and drawn up a plan to reroute the R72 through it to improve traffic flow in and out of the central business district.

The new plan supports the University of Fort Hare’s ambitions to develop a vibrant campus in East London. The municipality proposes closing off the section of Oxford Street from the circle to the sea to create a pedestrian zone that will become a hub of university activity.

To increase student accommodation there would be a “student village” of flats. The buildings could also be leased as holiday accommodation, said consultant Kreason Naidoo.

Large projects like the student village would require private funding – and, as such, the plan is a blueprint to guide investors who are interested in the area.

Kreason said the creation of artificial beaches was dependent on the project to deepen East London’s port to accommodate larger ships.

He explained that sand and silt dredged up from the port would be moved to the rocky beachfront to “reclaim” land and create an artificial beach.

This dredging project would be part of the city’s bid to persuade national government and Transnet to spend R5billion upgrading the port.

Should this go ahead, East London’s yacht harbour would have to be moved from its current spot within the port to a possible beachfront location.

The ambitious plans, which cost the BCDA an estimated R1m, are not limited to flashy projects for the rich. Included is a scheme to bring affordable housing closer to the city centre.

Parts of the vacant Propnet land near the station have been earmarked for affordable apartments for households earning between R2500 and R7500 a month. Manning said the idea is based on a successful project in Johannesburg’s Newtown precinct “That project saw a huge number of small businesses open nearby – after all, these residents need to buy bread and milk every day.”

Another factor in the bigger development scheme are the heritage restrictions which are often encountered in construction projects in the old suburb of the Quigney. Kreason said the BCDA should recruit a heritage consultant to identify buildings that needed protection.

--Daily Dispatch 20June07
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2007/06/20...pe/abeach.html

[dysan1]

East London plans new marina

East London’s Buffalo City Council has given approval to the first phase of a R600 million plan to re-develop the city’s beachfront which includes building a new marina and yacht harbour on the sea-side of the port.

The new yacht harbour will be immediately to the east of Orient Beach but is dependent on other plans to deepen East London port to accommodate larger ships.

Transnet has so far declined to finance the improvements to the harbour but has raised no objection to the city and developers attempting to raise interest for the project. The harbour deepening and new quays would cost in the region of R5 billion, it has been estimated.

Sand and silt dredged from this project would be used to create new beaches along the beachfront and to build the marina.

The plan forms part of a more ambitious project that will see Marina Glen on Eastern Beach developed with a hotel and luxury apartments and shops – the glen is currently an open park area.

[mikey67]

Race is on for ideas to develop EL’s Grand Prix circuit


RACING DREAM: Buffalo City is looking at development potential for the East London Race Track, seen here in an
aerial shot. Picture: GOOGLE EARTH

By ROUX VAN ZYL

THE race is on to give East London’s famous Grand Prix motor racing circuit a long-awaited facelift.

Holding the checkered flag is the Buffalo City Development Agency (BCDA) which has called for a feasibility study into its development potential.

Today, the BCDA is to hold its first public briefing in East London on ideas for the feasibility study for the area around what many have described as one of South Africa’s fastest tracks.

The BCDA’s town planner, Johan Allers, said the aim of the study was to establish whether there was any development potential in the circuit.

“We think the race track definitely has untapped development and historical potential. Currently, it is just an open piece of land that lies there. There’s huge interest in the race track from developers,” he said.

Allers said the circuit was built on council land leased to various stakeholders. It fell within the BDCA’s mandate area, which spanned from Nahoon through Quigney to the West Bank.

Motorcycle representative on the Border Motorsport Club committee Rodney Hiles said because the track was not privately owned it was difficult to develop.

“Each time there is a race we have to close the track, which is a public road, and that costs us. There is very little security for any potential sponsor due to the lack of ownership by the club. At the moment the track is not commercially viable,” he said.

Hiles said the ideal situation would be to privatise the track.

Border Motorsport Club chairperson Boet Marais said if the municipality built a road to bypass the track it would be the “most magic circuit in the country”.

He said the club had spent its own money to maintain the track and recently upgraded curbs and repainted the road lines.

Hiles said the circuit’s surface was in good condition, and its design made it the fastest track in the country.

Allers said the racetrack was the only one in the world that remained unchanged after the last Grand Prix it hosted in 1965

The briefing into the feasibility study will be hosted today from 9am at the Zonk’izizwe Conference Centre in the Quigney.

http://www.dispatch.co.za/2007/06/29...cape/bdev.html

[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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[mikey67]

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The old bridge with the railroad beneath crossing the Buffalo River.
The neglected waterfront lies to right of the bridge.
The white building in the background is the old naval base where I spent many hours with the folks in the pub and experienced many childrens Christmas parties in the hall as a child.
...memories!

[mikey67]

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The Buffalo River on which the Buffalo Regatta is held.
The Steve Biko (ex John Voster) Bridge rises above.