Latest news with #urbanGrowth
Zawya
28-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Pietermaritzburg's housing boom
Pietermaritzburg's rapid growth is fuelling demand for quality housing, and the Hesketh Development is meeting it with Cooper — the latest phase of Hesketh Estate. Launching 16 August 2025, Cooper offers secure, modern estate living from R1.125m, appealing to families, professionals, and investors seeking value in one of KwaZulu-Natal's fastest-growing urban centres. Hesketh Estate has already made its mark in the local property market. Earlier phases such as Alfa sold out rapidly and continue to show solid value growth. Now, Cooper builds on that success, offering thoughtfully designed homes, strong investment potential, and the opportunity to live within a secure estate at an attractive price point. Since its launch in November 2020, Hesketh Estate has demonstrated exceptional market performance and strong investor confidence. The development recorded an impressive 80 sales in its launch month alone, followed by consistent momentum with 142 sales achieved within the first 12 months — averaging approximately 10 sales per month through to October 2021. Growing market confidence According to the Hesketh Development team, the launch of Cooper responds directly to the growing demand in Pietermaritzburg's residential market. Since 2011, the city's adult population has grown by 36%, with Hayfields matching this trend. According to Lightstone data, this translates to approximately 10 new adults and seven families moving into the suburb each month. The area's population growth is matched by its financial strength. Hayfields has emerged as one of Pietermaritzburg's most economically stable and desirable suburbs. Recent data has also revealed that average household incomes range between R77,500 and R91,500 per month – signalling an emerging affluent market that prioritises secure, high-quality living. In addition, from 2021 to 2024, the estate has seen sales price escalations ranging between 10% and 12% for two-bedroom units, reflecting solid capital growth and sustained demand. On the rental front, occupancy stood at a remarkable 97% as of December 2024, with rental escalations of up to 10% across all unit types between 2022 and 2025, making this development an increasingly attractive prospect for long-term investors. Community. Convenience. Calm. But numbers only tell part of the story. Hayfields is celebrated for its strong community spirit, family-friendly environment, and well-rounded lifestyle offering. According to Leon van Rooyen, development manager at Hesketh Development, Cooper builds on these strengths, offering residents a secure estate lifestyle in a suburb that blends everyday convenience with a sense of calm. 'We've created a community-focused environment where residents can enjoy the best of what Hayfields has to offer, and we're excited to be expanding on that,' says van Rooyen. 'Cooper residents benefit from a prime location, being close to respected schools, excellent medical facilities, and popular retail centres, making everyday convenience part of the lifestyle.' Each home is thoughtfully designed with modern living in mind, featuring open-plan layouts, private balconies or gardens, and sustainable elements like gas geysers. 'The apartments are also pet-friendly, fibre-ready, and energy-efficient - an ideal place to call home for those seeking low-maintenance, lock-up-and-go living,' van Rooyen adds. 'Residents will also enjoy shared access to landscaped green spaces, a clubhouse, swimming pool, and 24/7 security. These amenities have largely contributed to the success of Hesketh Estate's earlier phases, and we anticipate a similar outcome in the near future.' Cooper presents a compelling opportunity to enter a secure, high-demand market in one of Pietermaritzburg's most established and rewarding suburbs. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Hobart's urban growth boundary extended to allow fast-growing areas to continue to expand
Some of the fastest-growing areas near Hobart could double in size after the region's urban growth boundary was extended, allowing for more suburban development. Housing Minister Felix Ellis approved the extension of the boundary by 615 hectares, including areas to the outer north, south and east of the city. The largest extension was 176 hectares to the immediate north of the Glebe Hill housing estate at Rokeby, on Hobart's eastern shore, potentially allowing for more than 3,100 dwellings to be added. The changes also include 166 hectares to the south-east of Sorell, south of the Arthur Highway bypass, for close to another 3,000 dwellings. The urban growth boundary extension allows for greater residential rezoning but is subject to all planning approvals. Mr Ellis said the changes could provide 10,000 additional homes. Other main changes include 73 hectares at Richardsons Road in Sandford, 36 hectares at Brighton Road in Brighton, and 33 hectares on the Channel Highway at Margate. In its submission as part of the process, Clarence City Council was broadly supportive — including of the Rokeby extensions — but had concerns with the Sandford urban growth extension. It was one of two land parcels in the government's list that were identified "through dialogue with a developer", the other being at Mannata Road in nearby Lauderdale, which was also approved. The council's submission, signed by chief executive officer Ian Nelson, described the inclusion of the Sandford land as "opportunistic and not strategically justified". "It does not promote the consolidation of development within a contained area, rather, it encourages unrestrained urban sprawl in a southerly direction on the South Arm Peninsula," the submission reads. The land is subject to overlays for coastal inundation, potential contaminated land, flood-prone hazard, waterway protection and landslip hazard. Nik Masters and Dean Richards also provided a submission "on behalf of the project team" for the potential Sandford development. They described the site as being "thoroughly assessed, with extensive independent reports and modelling already completed" as part of a master plan. "Including 52 Richardsons Road within the [urban growth boundary] would enable short-term housing development on serviced land free from flood or inundation overlays," the submission reads. Under the urban growth boundary changes, Sorell could expect significant additional residential development proposed in the coming decades. The land south of the Arthur Highway bypass is yet to be served by TasWater. Mayor Janet Gatehouse said development in the area was "not going to happen overnight", and she would like to see it progress in a "sustainable, holistic fashion". "Council is trying to manage it in the most holistic way — considering environmental and community interests, and what's best for new residents," she said. Sorell has been promised a Medicare urban care clinic, its public school has recently expanded with room for further expansion, and it has a park-and-ride service for public transport. Cr Gatehouse said these services would assist in the area's continued growth, and she wanted to ensure that Sorell's rural areas could also receive adequate services. Most of the changes to the urban growth boundary were identified as part of a review of the Southern Tasmania Regional Land Use Strategy, which is ongoing. Clarence City Council described changing the urban growth boundary before this review is finished as "premature". The Greater Hobart Plan, released in 2022, stated that the previous boundary could provide for 34,000 dwellings through infill development to accommodate for the region's estimated population growth over the next 25 years. It did not recommend changes to the urban growth boundary. Other changes to the boundary, approved by Mr Ellis, include 13 hectares at Risdon Vale, 18 hectares at Gagebrook, 24 hectares at Old Beach and a further 31 hectares at Sorell.
