Telkom Park (Boet Erasmus) stadium is finally making way for new catalytic developments.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Rano Kayser, Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) Board Chairperson Mputumi Phil Goduka and CEO Ashraf Adam were in high spirits as they took the lead at an event held to mark the final push to demolish the old Boet Erasmus stadium.
Rayno Kayser who led the municipal delegation said “the demolition of the Boet marked the end of an era but also the beginning of a new era. “The Municipality believes the cleaning of this site will pave the way for catalytic and transformative development to take place here. Socio Economic Transformation can only be achieved through innovative spatial development which we are determined to see happen right here on what was an historic rugby ground in this country.”
Boet Erasmus stadium became redundant when the City built the new state of the art Nelson Mandela Bay stadium making the site a prime location for a new tourism and property development initiative. For many years since then, the City had earmarked the site for an International Convention Centre (ICC) but due to market forces since 2008 this idea could not be realized, and the site stood idle and fell into disrepair.
The demolition followed an extensive process in obtaining a demolition license and in June the MBDA was finally able to proceed, clearing the way to leveraging this prime piece of land for future catalytic developments.
Tamlynn Jackson, Project Leader at the MBDA says “The process to demolish a structure of this size is complex and drawn out due to the nature of approvals involved, each with a set of criteria to be met”.
Jackson added “One such approval is that of the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs, necessary to safeguard sensitive environmental considerations, such as the protection of the flood line. A mandatory twenty-day period for possible public objections to the demolition was also required before the demolition process could be initiated”.
Speaking at the official demolition event on the grounds of Boet Erasmus, MBDA CEO Ashraf Adam said, “the agency does not want to simply appoint professionals to advise us on what to do, we want the public to have a say”.
“Govan Mbeki Avenue, The Boet Erasmus site and Bayworld are all public assets, they’re in the public imagination and the public psyche. The public has vested interests in these areas over the years and the MBDA wants them to have a say in the way forward. We want to use this opportunity as part of nation-building and what it means to live in Nelson Mandela Bay” Adam concluded.
Quick facts and figures
- The construction value is R10m which will improve the value of the site
- A minimum of 30% of the contract value is being carried out by SMEs
- 20 – 25 Jobs created during demolition
The vision is to provide a safe and secure precinct which will provide a vacant site for future development that could accommodate a variety of uses including: Residential, Office space, Retail, Entertainment, Conferencing and Tourism activities.
Alan Straton
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