Work has just begun on the construction of a new convenience shopping centre in the Benoni suburb of Cloverdene. Located along the increasingly busy Cloverdene Road between Rynfield and Daveyton, this new 8 000 square metre centre will provide quick and convenient shopping to residents of Cloverdene, eastern Rynfield and parts of Daveyton.
The shopping centre is being developed by the ONE Property Holdings Group. It will be easily accessible from Pretoria Road on the Rynfield side and Putfontein Road on the Daveyton side, increasing the shopping choices of those living and working in this area which is growing and densifying.
Although the greater Benoni area is well served in terms of shopping centres, there is currently nothing serving the defined catchment area in Cloverdene within an approximately 2,5 km radius. Given that the vast majority of these people fall into the lower income and LSM brackets and have limited travel options, the location of the centre in this growing residential area makes it highly likely to be well patronised.
CloverdeneShopping Centre will offer shoppers a variety of popular shops, with tenants including Shoprite and Cashbuild – both sure to draw shoppers from within and outside the catchment area, Shoprite Liquor, Pep, Ackermans, a hairdressing salon and several ATMs. The centre will incorporate a taxi rank, and the developers are in ongoing discussions with the local taxi association in order to ensure that the community is provided with a working transport hub in the area. They are also in the process of appointing a community liaison who will ensure that the community is kept informed and involved during the construction process.
A CLO (community liaison officer) has been appointed to facilitate the utilisation of local sub-contractors, skilled labour and labour residing in the two wards adjacent to the shopping centre. At the time of the appointment, the main contractor was made aware of these intentions. They are being encouraged to employ people from the local areas and the process is being closely monitored by the developer.
Regular meetings are being held with the community to ensure that the process is fair to all parties involved, thus ensuring that the community’s benefits are maximised. The developer will also engage with the prospective tenants to further encourage the permanent employment of the local community, as far as possible.
“The aim of the project is to design a shopping centre that serves the needs of the community through a carefully selected tenant mix, ensuring that the requirements of the people in the area are met,” comments Werner Franck of ONE Property Holdings. “We are also focusing on constructing a shopping centre that provides a safe and secure shopping environment with an aesthetically pleasing look and feel – encouraging the community to support the centre.”
Cloverdene Shopping Centre is scheduled for completion towards the end of 2016 and is expected to open in December, in time for festive season shopping.
