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Suburb Information

Ballito Makeover: Ballito

Thirty years ago a visit to Ballito from Durban was a day trip. The car and roof-rack would be piled high with picnic hampers, dive gear, body boards, itsy-bitsy bikinis, hats and loads of Coppertone. You snacked on fresh oysters and cooked your catch of crayfish on the beach. It was like being down the Wild Coast, only closer.

Over the years, the north coast’s best-kept secret grew into a burgeoning holiday town and favoured destination for savvy Gautengers, who built second homes overlooking the Indian Ocean. Ballito soon became a typical coastal town, economically dependent on seasonal local tourism.

As Durban’s CBD shifted north to Umhlanga Ridge, so too has much of the population, and suddenly Ballito is no longer a day trip but a 15-minute commute to an area that offers a unique lifestyle. With the development of world-class secure estates – Zimbali and Simbithi, to name a few – plus the impact of the Dube TradePort and new airport, this slow coastal spot has been catapulted into a market-driven hodgepodge of strip malls and light industry. With an increase not only in the permanent population but also in the number of international and local tourists, market-driven retail and commercial expansion has taken off. 

This ongoing and accelerating growth has outpaced an ’80s infrastructure designed to handle a holiday town. The present road system is hopelessly inadequate and although water and sewerage is holding for now, it’s under pressure.

Ken Forbes of Tongaat Hulett Developments believes these problems can be resolved. ‘A full traffic impact assessment for the entire KwaDakuza region has been commissioned by the local authority, and a plan will be formulated to deal with the traffic issues,’ he says. Ken adds that the upgrade and expansion of the road network will have to be funded by government and developers, and synergised to ensure qualitative enhancement.

When asked about this problem, Helena Jacobs of Helena Jacobs Town and Regional Planners says, ‘I see space differently, with much of the grid planning of the past retrofitted to encompass green belts and smaller shopping precincts skirting secure residential estates.’ Helena believes two or three holistically planned iconic developments would breathe new life into the town. ‘The success of a new-look Ballito requires careful, insightful planning and depends on the way things are done,’ she adds. ‘The economic slowdown has forced many of the players in the area to focus and to rethink future development. They’ve been made to stand back and look at the big picture. This breathing space in the frantic development of the area can only benefit the holistic planning of a future Ballito.’

Situated between South Africa’s two busiest ports – Durban and Richards Bay – and within spitting distance of the new King Shaka airport and Dube TradePort, Ballito is ideally suited to expand its footprint as an ‘edge city’. Clive Greene of Pam Golding Properties believes that, ‘If you’re going to be anywhere in South Africa at the moment, Ballito is the place to be. Factories are already relocating to benefit from the cost-saving of being close to a trade port and efficient harbour system.’ He maintains that once the infrastructure has been sorted out there will be no holding Ballito back from becoming the place to invest in the future.

Fiona Crago of Fiona Crago Real Estate maintains it’s impossible to accurately measure the enormous impact the new airport is going to have on the area. ‘We simply cannot imagine it,’ she says. She also believes this development has cushioned the effect of the recession on Ballito, placing the area in a unique position. ‘All the smart money is moving north,’ she says. When questioned about the impact that increased industrial development will have on the area, Fiona believes that because of the already established top-drawer residential developments and the area’s high per-capita income, Ballito will not be allowed to regress into an industrial sprawl.

When asked what influence the present economic slowdown has had on the area, Gert Vorster of Engel and Völkers says that although sales are a lot slower than in the past, the recent launch of two new developments – Zimbali Lakes Resort and Mount Richmore – shows developer faith in the greater Ballito area.

Lucille Godwin of Leapfrog agrees that sales are slower but, she says, there’s been a slight upswing since November last year. The majority of property brokers in the area agree that more realistic prices and a continued drop in the interest rate will help to stimulate the market. At the moment, bargain-hunting cash buyers are the main purchasers.

Fiona also mentioned the growing tendency towards private bonds (an agreement whereby the seller agrees to finance the buyer and registers a bond to cover the amount he’s lending to the buyer to purchase his property). Private bonds are done in the same way as a normal bank loan except conditions may vary. A number of owners have no bonds on their property so the possibility of a private bond can be considered.

Ballito as an edge city is striding north with its big toe already firmly imprinted on the beach at Tinley Manor, where River Tide Estate was lavishly launched in April by Fiona Crago. Says developer Chad Burtt pointing south across the cane fields, ‘See those buildings over there? That’s the northern tip of Sheffield Beach, which means Tinley Manor is next in line to take off.’ Chad believes ‘the strip’ will be joined within the next five years. Driving around the small hamlet of Tinley Manor certainly proves Fiona’s point about the smart money moving north – there are already beautiful properties in situ.

Blythedale Coastal Resort has recently been given the green light by the Regional Land Claims Commission – good news for the greater Ballito area. Only an hour’s drive north of Durban, this exciting 1 000ha integrated resort development is one of the first to incorporate a social housing component within its boundaries. Mark Taylor, chairman of the eLan Group, the resort’s developers says, ‘Now that we have the green light, resources will be thrown at the infrastructure and civil work in order to fast-track the project.’

Closer to home, Tongaat Hulett and IFA, the joint-venture partners undertaking the development of the long-term Zimbali Lakes Resort project, although proceeding cautiously according to market demand, are looking beyond the present economic climate. As Ken Forbes says, ‘We anticipate this being a seven- to 10-year project with phases being released to the market and services installed according to market demand. The golf course will take two years to build and become playable, with construction anticipated to commence in the latter part of this year. The construction of the Lakes and the services for Phases one and two will also commence later this year with a completion period of one year.’

According to Paul Izzard, co-developer of Imbonini Industrial Park between Ballito and Umhlali, ‘There’s so much talk, so much whispering and so much anticipation… and yes, it’s already happening! Businessmen are relocating their families to Ballito where they can enjoy the freedom of a secure lifestyle and excellent schooling while they commute to work in Gauteng during the week. Once the trade port and airport are up and running, many of them plan on relocating their businesses to Ballito.’

The general consensus among local property brokers is that 30 per cent of their sales are for relocation purposes and, as the airport development nears completion, they anticipate a percentage increase. Both Gert and Fiona indicated another growing trend – that of retirement opportunities located within secure estates. These upmarket retirement options allow older people to downscale without having to adjust their lifestyle. They are able to enjoy the freedom and facilities of the estate, secure in the knowledge that medical care and community facilities are available, should they need them.

Ballito is going to be a very different place in the future. The big question is: will it become the Sandton or Boksburg of the north coast? There’s a strong anticipation of a Sandton but, says Ken Forbes, ‘Neither of the above examples is a good comparison, as Ballito has great beaches and a strong tourism industry catering for all segments of the market. Looking at the regional growth anticipated from the new airport – logistics hubs, business parks, offices, retail and residential opportunities – it looks as if the development is going to grow exponentially over the next five to 10 years. The seasonal aspects of local tourism will slowly be eliminated as more and more passengers and charter flights start coming directly into the region. The area east of the N2 freeway will mostly be utilised for tourism and upmarket homes, while the area west of the freeway will cater for clean industry – logistics hubs, business parks, offices and other residential needs. A new city will emerge, catering for all levels of investment needs, creating employment and providing residential opportunities across the full spectrum of the market, underpinned by the snowballing growth momentum from the new airport.’

Smart money and intelligent business are helping to weather the storms of recession. As Helena Jacobs says, ‘Watch this space’.