The eThekwini EXCO has approved the proposed South Illovo Local Area Plan (LAP) which will mainly cater for the local automotive industry.
Once completed the plan will comprise of 3792 residential homes, 1316 207m² of developable industrial land and 51 810 m² of developable commercial area.
The plan also includes the upgrading of interchanges between Kingsway and uMgababa and the realignment of a new bridge over Illovo River.
The plan has been broken up into six sub districts.
The first district known as the Light Industry or Commercial District will be more to the North of the LAP with approximated 83.64 Ha in extent is proposed to be mainly for light industrial or commercial developments associated with the highly accessible and visible area at the Interchange between the N2 route and the R603 towards uMbumbulu. This district has no major environmental restraints.
The second district is the mixed residential which includes the existing Illovu village and surrounding areas. This land which is suitable for higher density residential development is also currently being used for sugar cane production. This district could accommodate an additional 2100 higher density homes and is also easily accessible via the R603 and R197 routes.
District three which is also classified as mixed residential will be mainly aimed at providing residential opportunities in close proximity to the envisaged manufacturing hub. This area can accommodate 1700 higher density residential homes for both local workers as well as to address general housing needs within the Illovo area.
The Industrial District which is the fourth district is identified as the primary manufacturing hub and the potential locality of an Automotive Supplier Park (ASP). This type of district would have to accommodate at least 100 ha of developable industrial land. This site should gain access to the N2 route to fully develop its manufacturing potential and access to other regional distribution channels such as the Port of Durban.
The fifth district, which is also an industrial district, has a total of 42 percent available land deemed available for development. The area is also accessible via the R197 route and though no bulk infrastructure within this district is currently available, the need for economic diversification and investment within the south deems it fairly suitable for associated light industrial purposes.
The sixth district which is a restricted area mainly because it is associated with the landfill wayleaf areas limiting development and private development. Due to a lack of current bulk infrastructure in this area, it will require a large scale of public capital investment to address.
