The future looks bright for Rosslyn as new development kick-starts Africa’s first smart city
Category Industrial Property News
The industrial and automotive node of Rosslyn is set for massive growth in the coming months (and years) as the much talked about new Rosslyn Hub – a huge 7157 hectare, R3 billion mixed-use development – starts taking shape. Rosslyn Hub is intended to be the catalyst for development in the area of the planned R50 billion Tshwane Auto City over the next 10 years, what is envisioned to be Africa’s first ever smart city and the fourth automotive city globally.
According to the CEO of The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC), Dr David Masondo, between 2008 and 2018 around R12-billion has been invested into the Rosslyn area. Following the launch of Rosslyn Hub, he anticipates a 400% increase in investment in the next decade. In addition to the AIDC, the Tshwane Economic Development Agency, City of Tshwane, the Gauteng province and the Gauteng Growth Development Agency have partnered with private sector companies to help bring this monumental project to fruition.
Masondo explained that the development project uses a hybrid funding model, with government providing the road and bulk infrastructure to create a situation conducive for private sector investment. The hub’s development team has identified eight focus areas. These include logistics and freight to assist in the export of the goods produced in the hub, research and development, and the establishment of a green and sustainable automotive city. Most of the developments will have roofs that are north-facing and with sufficient load capacity to enable solar installations. The emphasis will also be on establishing a living, smart city that supports local growth and development, and provides public transport as well as adequate housing. The R3 billion development is estimated to provide 160 000 new jobs – excellent news for job-seekers in Tshwane.
Rosslyn Hub is designed to be a secure, pedestrian-friendly environment that is all-inclusive to its residents and industries. It will include:
- 1200 houses and 250 rental apartments
- A crèche, primary and high school
- A university with student housing
- Two shopping centres, a value centre and filling station
- A logistics park and vehicle distribution centre, with access to a world-class rail logistics hub
- A truck staging area and truck stop
- Motor showrooms and a motor retail area
- A hospital and clinic
- A hotel and conference centre
- An outdoor automotive pavilion
Brendan Falkson, Director of Rosslyn Hub says that Rosslyn, which is already home to four automotive plants such as BMW, Nissan, Iveco and Tata, along with an array of automotive suppliers, will aim to emulate well-established automotive cities like those in Spain, China, Germany and Japan. It will create a second ‘CBD’ in the north-west of Tshwane on the doorstep of Garankuwa and Soshanguve, which will be anchored by a labour-intensive automotive manufacturing core that will enable workers to walk to work. Falkson also noted that construction of the K217 road, which runs from north to south between Soshanguve and the N4 highway, will enable greater access into Rosslyn and unlock additional investment opportunities.
The future is looking bright indeed for the industrial node of Rosslyn, making this the ideal time to investigate relocating your warehouse or factory here. If you are interested in finding out more about available listings in Rosslyn Hub and its surrounding properties, simply get in touch with Mike Schröder from API Property Group. A respected broker in the area, Mike specialises in the rental and sales of prime industrial and commercial property in Rosslyn and currently has over 67 listings to choose from. API Property Group’s brokers are experts within the industry and highly knowledgeable of the areas we operate in. We look forward to hearing from you.
Author: API Property Group
