COJ makes way for new R1 billion development

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06-05-2015
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Infrastructure News
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The City of Johannesburg has approved the relocation of the Sandton Taxi Rank to a temporary facility to give way to a R1-billion Kgoro mixed-used development.

According to the City the resolution was taken at the City’s April council meeting after an order granted by the Gauteng High Court on February 10 following a development agreement between the City and Cedar Park Properties.

In terms of the agreement, the City was obliged to relocate the taxi rank to enable Cedar Park Properties to redevelop the property as far back as 2010.

However the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC)– the City’s property arm – made attempts to relocate the taxi rank in accordance with the public transport plan for Sandton but was frustrated by numerous delays.

According to a report presented at a mayoral committee meeting on March 5, the JPC had completed 90% of the work required to enable the relocation but was prevented from finally commissioning the new taxi rank by an interdict granted by the Gauteng High Court against the use of the identified temporary holding area.

This placed Cedar Park Properties in a position in which it had no option but to secure the vacant site in order to honour its development obligations.

The plan for providing taxi facilities in the short- and long-term is:

* A permanent taxi rank of 89 taxi bays has been developed on level PTI of the Gautrain Station precinct * The current taxi rank, earmarked for the Kgoro development, has been used as a temporary rank and holding facility while the permanent facilities were being developed. * A traffic study has indicated that during peak hour about 220 taxis use this facility and * A permanent holding facility for 300 taxi bays has been designed in Sandown.