Region in new drive to spike investor confidence
04-03-2015
Johannesburg’s Region A – which includes areas such as Midrand, Midrand central business district (CBD), Diepsloot and Ivory Park in the north of the city – is fine-tuning a number of its strategies to fast-track urban regeneration and increase investor confidence in the area.
Its plans are also aimed at accelerating response times when addressing residents’ and businesses’ complaints.
This emerged at a meeting of the Midrand chapter of the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and the Midrand CBD Stakeholder Forum at Gallagher Estate on Tuesday this week.
Addressing about 40 property owners, retailers and businesspeople, Regional Director Abigail Ndlovu said it was time for the region to stake its claim among the best of the best in the city.
“Sandton and the Joburg CBD have reached saturation point. It is up to us to get our house in order to start attracting more trade and investment to revitalise our region and spread development in our townships, such as Diesploot and Ivory Park,” Ndlovu said.
Established last year, the forum aims to revitalise the region, stimulate business growth, encourage private-public development partnerships and create an environment that is conducive for the City and business to facilitate rapid service delivery.
One of the strategies the forum is exploring is the creation of an area-based management model in the Midrand CBD to give ratepayers and investors a good return on their investments.
Ryan Matthew, whose company Urban Genesis has been managing the Maboneng Precinct, Fashion District and the revamped Rosebank through the implementation of the city improvement districts model, told the forum that rapid urbanisation required creative ways of ensuring safety for investors, communities and businesspeople alike.
Matthew told the forum that Urban Genesis had been able to help turn around the fortunes of parts of the Johannesburg inner city, as well as the Sandton International Convention Centre and Rosebank by improving security, maintaining high standards of cleanliness and taxi management, something that could result in similar outcomes if adopted in the Midrand CBD.
The forum resolved to consult more stakeholders on the city improvement districts model.
One of the resolutions adopted at the forum was to give Gautrain commuters who parked their vehicles illegally outside the Midrand Station two weeks to use demarcated parking areas or have their vehicles impounded.
“The city, with the help of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, will be distributing flyers and communicating with residents on the community radio station and in community newspapers about alternative parking for Gautrain commuters.
Illegal parkers and illegal metered taxi operators have until the end of the month to either use paid parking at the Gautrain Midrand Station or collect their impounded cars at council office,” Ndlovu said.