Cape Town - An R800 million investment in the new Newlands Cricket Ground Precinct will include mixed-use business, university sports campuses and restaurants at the iconic stadium and one of the oldest in the country.
The owners say the development will also make them forerunners in turning sports facilities into financially sustainable facilities the country.
Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) announced in 2019 a partnership with Sanlam Life Insurance Limited in which the insurers would have 51% shareholding, while the rest was divided between WPCA and Cricket South Africa.
“The City of Cape Town has previously approved the rezoning of Six Gun Grill Newlands to transform it into a sustainable mixed-use sport, commercial, education and leisure-orientated precinct. In terms of these rights, the development will yield an estimated 25 000m2 of commercially viable gross leasable area,” said Tennyson Botes, WPCA interim chief executive.
WPCA Property Holdings chief operations officer Neil Cilliers said with cricket being played for only 30 to 35 days a year on the grounds, it was difficult to generate a sustainable income and maintain the facility.
Work on the project was initially scheduled to start in January, but due to the “wettest winter” last year, and Covid-19, there was a delay.
“We are excited that it’s now under way and the new tenants will move in in July 2021, with the rest of the pace being occupied in a staggered manner over the next six months until early 2022,” Cilliers said.
The tenants will include Varsity College and Cape Peninsula University of Technology Sports campuses as well as business offices, coffee shops and restaurants, said Cilliers.
Botes said “cricket will be a golden thread that runs through the development.
“It will see the integration of young people and business people – we want to be close to the talent coming through. People working in their offices will also be able to watch test matches from their building,” Cilliers added.
Botes said the project was designed to drive urban redevelopment in the southern suburbs of Cape Town.
“We are particularly proud of the transit-oriented considerations for which our close proximity to the Claremont railway line is crucial. For us, it is pedestrians-first design approach,” he added. A pedestrian footbridge over the railway line will link Main Road to Campground Road. A tree-lined walkway will also extend around the cricketing precinct, with several vantage points at which pedestrians will be able to see the field itself.
“Newlands is one of the world’s most iconic cricket grounds and hosted its first test in January 1888, when South Africa took on a touring England side. This also signalled South Africa becoming the third Test-playing nation in the world, after England and Australia.
“This ground has a long and rich history which was built up over 132 years, and the new development will protect that heritage for the future. One of its features is a pop-up cricket museum, which will capture and preserve the contribution that Newlands has made to the sport of cricket. A cricket auditorium is also part of the development,” says Kugandrie Govender, CSA acting chief.
Although no fans were allowed to watch games due to the pandemic, Cilliers expected the new precinct to welcome them in the new season, which would kick off around November 2021. “We are excited, we are hoping our model can be replicated.”
Weekend Argus