Durban - The eThekwini Municipality has unveiled its latest proposal to redevelop Virginia Airport as a mixed use catalytic project with luxury housing, tourism accommodation and retail outlets to generate revenue.
However, operators at the airport said they had been taken by surprise when The Mercury asked them about the proposal and said they had not been formally notified about it by the city.
The city has been mulling over developing the prime Virginia Airport site for the past 10 years. The council resolved to close the airport some yearsgo - and for its operations to be moved elsewhere - but the proposal was met with stiff opposition by the operators and there had been no further action taken regarding the move.
According to a report by the city’s finance and economic development and planning cluster, real estate and catalytic projects unit tabled before council committees in September, the Virginia Airport site had been identified as a “catalytic project” and a study had been undertaken in 2018/19 “to assess various development options for the site”.
The report noted that following the adoption of the city’s recovery plan in response to Covid-19, the corporate investment committee had approved the revised strategy of bringing forward the process of inviting proposals from private investors and developers for the redevelopment of the site.
The value of the property, which measures 29.6 hectares and currently contains a 925-metre runway, a terminal building with 40 offices, a control tower, a restaurant/bar, a fire station, squash court, swimming pool and 16 hangars as well as administrative buildings, was estimated at R367 500 000.
The report said that the municpality’s integrated development plan noted about the site:
“There are only a few strategic land parcels owned by the municipality. This includes the Point, the drive-inn site, the Pavilion site on the beachfront, Virginia Airport, the Centrum site and Block AK. In terms of the need for economic development and job creation, there is a need to review the land policy and change the first priority for the allocation of municipal land from housing to economic development,” the plan said.
“The relocation of the Virginia Airport and its associated operations would give way to new development opportunities on the current site, which is optimally located and has direct access to the beach,” the plan said.
The city said it had published an advert in terms of a public participation process, which airport users say they were not aware of, to seek comment on its plan for the alienation by lease or sale of Virginia Airport.
The city called for public comment in an advertisement placed in its Ezasegagasini newspaper on October 23. It is not clear where additional advertisements appeared.
Darryl Mann, owner of Aero Natal, which operates two hangars at the airport, said the city’s latest proposal was “all utter garbage” and that the plan to develop the site “is not going to happen”.
Lynne Ross, spokesperson for Starlight Aviation Group, which runs a professional helicopter and aeroplane pilot training academy and a charter division, said that as far as the firm was aware, none of the airport operators had received any official communication from the municipality or airport management.
“The municipality can only move the operators if a suitable alternative is made available. If there is no alternative, we cannot move,” she said.
“Virginia Airport offers the only inner city alternative to King Shaka International Airport, to both corporate business and tourists for local travel to any destination in South Africa,” Ross said.
In terms of the plan the city would retain ownership of the property in order to capture “the benefit of property regeneration as well as financial benefits” by leasing it at market rates to private investors via long-term leases of up to 50 years. The expenditure phase of the development was expected to create around 70 000 jobs, according to the report.
Mann said the proposed plan was a “regurgitation” of the city’s previous attempts to suggest redevelopment of the site. He said in terms of the Constitution the municipality was obliged to provide the existing airport tenants with an alternative airport site approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.
“If the city is thinking of redeveloping the site why did they advertise a month ago for a five-year contract to manage the airport and for air traffic control services?”
Stuart Louw, who operates a specialised helicopter charter service and training schools at Virginia airport, said he had not seen any advert calling for public comment.
“They have squeezed it out and told nobody about it in hope of pushing it through. There is so much luxury accommodation and retail space in the city, yet there isn’t an airport. Most cities in the world are looking for a space to build an airport close to the city centre, but eThekwini are trying to get rid of it,” Louw said.
Asked at what stage the planned proposal was currently, eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said another report would be filed before council soon.
“The relevant department is currently compiling a report for submission at the next council meeting. Council will make a decision based on the outcome of the public participation process as well as comments from National Treasury. The report is yet to be considered by council; therefore, it is premature to respond at this stage,” he said.
BOX:
The city said the outcome of the 2018/19 study favoured the long-term lease agreement for “a mixed use development which complements the unique tourism, hospitality, sports, entertainment node” along the M4 corridor. The study envisaged that the mixed use node would consider the following development elements:
A luxurious precinct with residential units and supporting retail, tourism accommodation and leisure activities
A luxurious tourist destination with all the urban amenities
Integration of ocean and port city
Integration of international event hosting such as auto racing and motor shows
A vibrant 24-hour city node
A destination for the local community and international tourist that the city can be proud of.
Also among the proposed developments is the building of a Virginia promenade and a Virginia pier to promote fishing activities, to temper the high-intensity shoreline and as an aesthetic feature that can channel stormwater outflow.