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Interspersed among the old Westville houses and lush greenery that characterise the neighbourhood, small office parks and standalone business ventures have brought a different, “live, work, play” element to the area.
The M13 highway bisects Westville through Westville Central and Berea West en route to 45th Cutting in Sherwood and the link to the N3 national road into the Durban CBD. The ease of accessibility and the central location have attracted numerous commercial developments and office parks, with Westville Berea West on both sides of the highway no exception.
The multimillion-rand, 100- store Westwood Mall is the most recent commercial investment in the neighbourhood, but other developments include the Derby Downs office park and the Imperial office park.
Commercial property is available for renting. Picture: Terry Haywood Photography
Developments along Essex Terrace (on the left as you head towards Pietermaritzburg) include the Master Builders Association KwaZulu-Natal head office, Surrey Park complex, Network Configurations, Essex Gardens, Essex Park and 6 on Nelson.
The German Club, including its Musketeers bar, restaurant and venue hire facility, has been an integral part of the community for decades, reflecting Westville’s early history, linked to the arrival of German settlers in the late 1840s. Today, it remains a centre for German culture and food, and also a commercial initiative as it is available for venue hire.
On another other side of the highway are residential houses converted into commercial spaces, as well as Derby Downs and Imperial on University Road, aptly named for its location at the University of KwaZuluNatal Westville campus gates. Among the commercial property opportunities in the area is a nineunit flat development in Devon Terrace.
Specialist auctioneers In2Assets will bring the property, consisting of five one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats, to the market on September 18. Found 2km from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus and 1km from the Westwood Mall shopping centre, the facility has the potential to generate nearly R500000 in annual rent.
This block of nine flats, which comes under the hammer next month, is ideal for student accommodation. Picture: Terry Haywood Photography
The property offers investors opportunity to access the lucrative student accommodation market. Rental prices within the extensive Derby Downs office complex range from R85/m² for offices measuring 829m² to R142/m² for 251m² of commercial space. According to Broll Commercial Property Group, the office park has a reputation for being well-maintained and secure.
Generally, Westville remains a popular residential suburb, as well as a thriving business node, which benefits from its easy access to the M3, M10 and M19 highways, as well as the N2 and N3 national freeways.
“Aside from its fantastic location, Westville boasts beautiful scenery, excellent schools and excellent commercial attractions. Westville is no longer a sleepy farming village, but has become popular as a successful business and retail node,” agent Elizabeth Morgan says.
On sale in the neighbourhood is an investment opportunity measuring 1617m² and incorporating two sections plus storeroom facilities. On the market for R12.5million, and situated within a corporate office park, section one of the property has a single tenant (743m² of office space plus a 78m² storeroom) and section four has three tenants with floor space totalling 796m².
Companies in the area offer a broad range of expert services
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson’s regional head office is in the Derby Downs office complex. Picture: Terry Haywood Photography
Founded in 1886, the American multinational corporation Johnson & Johnson develops medical devices and pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods. The holding company includes more than 250 subsidiaries across 60 countries, with its products retailing in more than 175 countries.
Spur Corporation
The Spur Corporation operates predominantly as a franchisor, leveraging its intellectual property, experience, skills and support infrastructure to manage franchised restaurant operations in Africa, Mauritius, the Middle East and Australasia.
Brands include Spur Steak Ranches, Panarotti’s Pizza Pasta, Nikos Coalgrill Greek, John Dory’s Fish, Grill and Sushi, The Hussar Grill, RocoMamas, Spur Grill & Go and Casa Bella. Quyn Established in 1988, specialist recruitment and staffing solutions company Quyn offers clients a seamless recruitment process, including sourcing, attracting, short-listing, screening, interviewing and assessment of candidates across five national branches.
Brand Partners
Established in 2007, Brand Partners is a brand marketing and communications company operating as a collection of business units and strategic partners. Teams are headed by industry specialists to provide a platform for dialogue between the government, corporate citizens, civil society and individuals.
Nexia Levitt Kirson
NLK is a network of independent accounting and financial services companies which collectively provide audit, tax and advisory services. The global associates are Nexia International, an independent network ranked in the top 10 accounting networks.
Moses Kotane Institute
An entity of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, through the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, the Moses Kotane Institute conducts world-class research into training, skills development and the provincial strategic economic sectors. Its mandate includes strategically leading the province on innovation and maritime co-ordination and implementation of activities to boost the KwaZulu-Natal economy.
Moses Kotane House, from which the Moses Kotane Institute operates. Picture: Terry Haywood Photography
Location and space are advantages
Accessibility
The M13 highway cuts through Westville, meaning accessibility to the east-west corridor is easy and convenient. Access to the N3 freeway that links to the N2 northsouth corridor is also relatively simple.
Green belt
Westville is known for its greenery and tranquillity. Before Westville was incorporated into the eThekwini metropolitan area, the town council regulations dictated property sizes were a minimum half-an-acre. Consequently, there are still many large properties, filled with trees, as well as large tracts of open municipal land.
Large plots
Large residential plots offer opportunities for redevelopment into commercial nodes if land is rezoned.
Live, work, play
The integration of commercial and residential land use means residents can work literally minutes away from where they live – and the traffic is not as heavy or congested as in northern suburbs.
Auxiliary services
The area is well serviced by top schools, churches and mosques, shopping centres and other requirements within easy reach of commercial nodes.