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Issue 8
8 DECEMBER 2015
Regeneration of CBD of critical importance Hermanus has seen substantial growth in the past few years with both property developers and the municipality reporting a marked increase in building activity. But in order for Hermanus to retain its status as one of the most sought after destinations in the world there needs to be investment into the CBD which forms the hub of our economic activity. In order to achieve this the municipality is finalising its draft report on the regeneration of the CBD. The regeneration framework is aimed at bolstering the development of town and includes a number of projects to enhance our town and its offering. These projects include, amongst others, five priority areas for upgrading, namely the taxi rank and municipal precinct, Swallow Park, Mitchell Square, Lemm’s Corner and the Old Harbour precinct. “We are pleased that the draft final report on the CBD regeneration is being finalised and we are happy that the re-development of High Street into a special retail street with pedestrian prioritisation has emerged as one of the priority projects,” says Bob Stanway, chair of the Hermanus Ratepayers’ Association (HRA). According to him the High Street project is seen as the best way to create a high quality shopping environment in the CBD in order to retain tenants and shoppers once the mall in Sandbaai has been completed. “High Street has this potential due to Woolworths anchoring the one end of the street and Jet/Ackermans and the future Mitchell Street Precinct anchoring the other. The characterful and attractive historical buildings
According to the municipality the CBD has now reached a critical phase of its regeneration. “Detailed planning will focus on areas such as vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic, parking allocation and distribution, road and pavement surfacing, street furniture upgrades, signage and information boards and the reservation and celebration of important and sensitive heritage and landmark assets.”
on High Street will add to the quality of a pedestrian priority open mall, especially once the street has been paved to make it more accessible an attractive for pedestrians,” says Bob. The Mitchell Street development will see the Mitchell Street Square being released for the development of a public square with ground floor space for new businesses. The current surface parking will be accommodated within structured parking levels. This development is a key investment in the public environment at the core of the CBD, knitting together key destinations and pedestrian routes along High, Mitchell and Long Streets. The Hermanus Business Chamber says the CBD needs its best foot put forward so that when the
According to the regeneration framework the economy of Hermanus is heavily reliant on tourism and the heritage resources of the CBD are crucial assets in sustaining and developing it. It is therefore essential that the full portfolio of heritage assets is well managed and used optimally.
time comes it is in a healthy state to compete. “High Street done properly is the only precinct that could be developed to compete effectively against a mall and it is a long way from that position in its current state. There is no time to lose if we are to reduce the damage the CBD will take and accelerate its recovery.”
“The Hermanus CBD offers a unique integrated urban retail experience with a mix of brand name retailers and local boutiques,” states the report. “The Hermanus CBD is highly walkable with everything within a 400m walking distance of the centre of the CBD at Mitchell Street. The fine grained network of streets and lanes also adds to the permeability and potential walkability of the CBD. However, the quality of the pedestrian environment is very poor and incomplete. This deters residents and visitors from enjoying what Hermanus CBD has to offer on foot.”
The first phase of the CBD regeneration included the CBD relief road, the redevelopment of Market Square, the upgrade of Gearings Point and the development of the station precinct. “These projects were implemented by the municipality at an estimated cost of R80 million. The private sector has also heavily invested in the strategy. This includes construction work on commercial, residential, parking and landscaping projects to an estimated value of R225 million,” says the municipality.
The regeneration strategy, the proposed Hermanus bypass and several other issues relating to Hermanus will be discussed at the HRAs annual general meeting on Tuesday 15th December in the Hermanus Catholic Church Hall at 17:30.
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