Beacon Bay, Gonubie Set to Become New Business Hub Trend!
As the municipality of Buffalo Bay and the city of East London continues to expand outwards to the east, Beacon Bay is all set on fast becoming the new focal growth point of the city with much continued development centering on the fourth phase extension of Beacon Bay Crossing, which should soon be fully completed within 2 years. The SKG Group, which is responsible for the Beacon Bay Crossing development has recently announced a brand new whopping R350 million multi development deal, which will include a large shopping mall and a national four star hotel as the center piece of the fourth phase extension. The hotel is planned to be built on a man-made hillside overlooking the prestigious suburb of East London’s Beacon Bay. Also included in the development plans are a new state of the art movie theater and a top line fresh food supermarket. Businesses and retailers in the city are always seeking new development areas as the city continues to grow and expand. That new growth node has been clearly identified as Beacon Bay, as it was predicted some years ago and we are now finally starting to see this reality take place.
Businesses have shown a lot of confidence in the Beacon Bay region recently and as continued new developments take place, we are seeing new office blocks, hospitals and retailers rise. It is clear that Beacon Bay is now fast becoming the latest location trend for new and upcoming businesses, as well as those looking to expand their existing offices. The brand new 120 room hotel, to be aimed towards government and corporate is set to have a 1960’s curvy, retro feel and theme, reminiscent of the 1968 classic movie: 2001 A Space Odyssey. The hotel is designed to include a stunning roof-top swimming pool, overlooking the mall’s 1400 parking bays and open retail space. Its current projected completion date is set for October 2017. One of the main challenges faced with seeing this project become a reality was the controversial issue of relocating more than 2000 informal shack dwellers and over 500 shacks from the nearby Nompumelelo Township.
Buffalo City Metro Councilor, Makhaya Bopi, claimed that these shack dwellers were the responsibility of the SKG Group and that it was up to the SKG Group to find alternative land for them, which should include roads and electricity to alleviate the shack dwellers from illegally connecting electricity. However, SKG Group has responded, claiming that they are actually creating employment opportunities and are creating social enrichment for all, which should be the primary focus of the entire East London community. They are still in negotiations to find a suitable solution. As the city continues to expand eastwards, it is clear that the next boom area will indeed also include the coastal town of Gonubie, which will see an unprecedented growth by the time the construction of the new main road becomes complete in May this year. The Beacon Bay Crossing was developed in 2009 in the middle of the global economic recession caused by the Wall Street collapse of 2008.