A new trend in urban living emerging at Century City

 A new trend in urban living is rapidly emerging in Cape Town, namely a move away from suburban living to one offering a higher density, integrated lifestyle close to all amenities. A counter to urban sprawl that has beset many of the world’s cities particularly in America where residential suburbs have gobbled up precious farm land bringing with it concomitant transport and pollution problems, this new urban approach to living has in recent years grabbed the imagination of Capetonians. And nowhere is this more evident than at Century City Here on a vast 250hectare tract of what was previously a wasteland a whole new city within a city is rising out of the ground. The soul of this city is Intaka Island, a 16 hectare nature conservation wetlands reserve which is rich in birdlife and indigenous flora and around which literally billions of rand of residential and commercial developments are radiating out along a 6km network of navigable canals. Development at Century City, which started in 1997, initially concentrated on commercial, leisure and office developments and it is home to some of South Africa’s most pioneering and iconic projects including the Canal Walk shopping centre, the largest retail centre in South Africa, and Ratanga Junction theme park, two hotels as well as regional offices for many leading national and international corporates as well as smaller companies. But it has been the recent advent of residential developments to the mix that has brought both a heart beat and 24 hour life to this city within a city. In the past couple of years buyers have snapped up close to 2000 homes in a variety of developments on the greater Century City site. These have ranged from free-standing homes to sectional title apartments in high-rise, landmark buildings. The first sectional title project to be launched was the R400m The Island Club, comprising 445 apartments and a 23 suite hotel. Situated across the Grand Canal from Canal Walk, The Island Club is now nearing completion. This has been followed by the 362-unit Villa Italia project on a site northwest of Ratanga Road which is due for completion in early 2006. Both of these hugely successful developments have been sold out with a number of resales having since been notched up which has seen initial investors being replaced with owner occupiers. There is no doubt that the high standards of security, infrastructure and quality of lifestyle offered by Century City with all its different components being linked by water, walking and cycling tracks puts it in a league of its own and has contributed to its increasing popularity among home buyers, says Allen Usher, who heads up Century City Property World – a high-tech, permanent property exhibition showcasing residential and commercial properties available to purchase or let at Century City. “Demand for residential property at Century City, which has seen huge capital appreciation in recent years, is continuing unabated with the commercial and residential developments feeding one another. We are seeing an increasing number of people who work at Century City looking to move here not only due to the incredible lifestyle it offers but to avoid spending hours in the car going to and from work and rather reveling in the additional relaxation time this gives them to go paddling on the canals, sip cocktails at one of the waterside pubs or even birdwatching in the wetlands. And they don’t even have to get the car out to go to work. As a lifestyle it is simply unbeatable.” Strong buyer demand, he said, had spurred the launch of additional residential developments including the landmark 15-storey KnightsBridge apartment towers which are being built on a private island and adjoining wharf. Spanning the Grand Canal the luxury apartment towers, which comprises 198 apartments all enjoying spectacular views of either Table Mountain or the Intaka Island nature conservation wetlands, are under construction and scheduled for completion in mid-2006. A handful of apartments are still available in this flagship development which offers an exceptional lifestyle surrounded by water, bordering the award-winning nature conservation wetlands, Intaka Island and within a stone’s throw of all the shops and restaurants of Canal Walk. It also offers purchasers extraordinary communal facilities including indoor swimming pools, a gym and a boutique wellness centre. The launch of KnightsBridge was followed closely by phase one of Bougain Villas, which provides a mix of 122 free-standing villas and sectional title apartments in a development designed to encapsulate the character and charm of a Mediterranean village. The launch of this development coincided with that of the R500m Oasis project, the first major retirement estate to be developed in Cape Town in many years. Among buyers in the Oasis are the parents of purchasers in other developments at Century City. In addition almost 550 free standing homes are being developed at Century View, north-west of Ratanga Road, with the last of these due to be completed by year end. While the different residential projects have varied considerably, they all have one thing in common, namely they are in easy walking distance of each other and all the amenities at Century City. The latest development to be launched is the R400m Colosseum which takes integrated living one step further. In fact, this unique project which combines residential loft apartments, offices and groundfloor ancillary retail components all under one roof represents a microcosm of Century City’s development philosophy. To meet the dictates of a modern, vibrant lifestyle, restaurants and coffee shops will spill out onto the pavement, interspersed with boutique shops and support service providers to provide ideal daytime meeting places or evening respites after a hard day’s work and tenanted to complement the broad range of facilities on offer at the neighbouring Canal Walk shopping centre. The highstreet lifestyle experience on the ground floor will be topped by three storeys of offices and two storeys of residential penthouses - many boasting sweeping panoramic views of Table Mountain. As such it will create a world of its own where it will be possible to live, work and play all under one roof and within a stone’s throw of all the other amenities at Century City.