Durban Point is one of Durban’s most historic and significant urban quarters. It has a superb location and enjoys access to a range of modes of movement including pedestrian, road, rail and sea and therefore has local, national and international connections.
Over the years Durban Point has been subject to creeping blight that has left it largely abandoned and vacant. Paradoxically it represents one of the most under-utilised assets within the city.
Intentions to revitalise the area have been mooted for several decades and it was in 2002 that the current vision was formulated. Much of the renewed for this initiative has been the implementation of the uShaka Marine World project. This “must-see-must-do” attraction was consciously targeted at creating a development impetus for the city, and Durban Point in particular, and is regarded as the catalytic project for the 55ha Durban Point site.
The trigger for the development of Durban Point can be found in the water reticulation and purification system for uShaka Marine World and the need to return that water to the sea via a canal. This led to the idea of creating a unique “waterfront city within a city” in which a system of canals forms the central spine of urban redevelopment and where the economic benefits of water frontage extend throughout the area.
The Durban Point initiative is therefore not just an attempt to extend the city fabric in a banal way nor is it intended to transform the area into an extended theme park or tourist resort. Rather Durban Point has become an important, well-defined and exciting addition to the city and a sought after place to live, work and play. It is envisaged that a range of activities will be accommodated in a mixed-use environment containing a host of urban functions and reflecting a true urban place with 24-hour activity.
Durban Point is one of the most exciting and significant property development and investment projects Durban has seen for decades.
