Century Properties, Auckland Park residents both confident of victory over new student housing

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13-06-2018
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Residents argue Century was building illegally, with incorrect zoning and without the right municipal approvals

Century Property Developments goes to court on Thursday to try to resume work on its student housing development in Auckland Park.

Residents of Auckland Park — one of Johannesburg’s older suburbs, established in 1888 — are confident Century will fail in its attempt to restart the development, which the city says was being built illegally.

The residents argue that Century was building illegally, with incorrect zoning and without the right approvals from the City of Johannesburg.

The city ordered Century to stop the development at the end of May, threatening to arrest Century staff if work continued.

Century CEO Mark Corbett says it is unprecedented in the company’s 43-year history to have to go to court to prove it is operating within the law.

The student housing project will bring more than 200 residential units to Auckland Park.

The suburb already houses two of the University of Johannesburg’s four campuses and needs more student housing, Corbett says.

"The area is a student hub and there is demand for more housing. This development lies on Streatley Avenue which is along the BRT (the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system) route, and in order for this public transport to work developments have to take place around it.

"We have always built within the law and our latest student housing development is no different," he says.

In the unlikely event that the city does not let Century resume work on the development, he says, the company will "take it on the chin".

The City of Joburg’s acting executive director of development planning, Chris Dyani, says the provisional authorisation to proceed with construction should not have been granted in the first place, since the site development plan was still being considered by the city’s land use division.

He says numerous other documents are also outstanding.

City of Johannesburg spokesperson Poppy Louw says the city’s legal representatives will confirm the details of the legal action it will take against Century.

Corbett says he is confident Century will be cleared of wrongdoing and will be able to resume building at the site.

He declined to give details about the legal process Century would follow.

Century was also fined at the end of May for setting up illegal water and electricity connections in Auckland Park.

Century Properties spokesperson Japie Vos says these connections were legal and were installed by Joburg Water and City Power.

Century has also said every aspect of a separate development in Midrand that it helped developed a few years ago was completed legally.

This is the Waterfall Estate retirement village, located in the Waterfall City precinct.

Century was accused of setting up water meters and collecting water tariffs without notifying the city and so not being billed.

Century has denied the allegations.

Its partner in the Waterfall retirement estate, Waterfall Investment Company, was fined R8.2m for illegal water collection. The investment company manages the estate while Century developed it.

Century’s previous projects include the first phase of Helderfontein Estate, which lies in Glenferness in Midrand, upper market houses for the Les Maisons development in Hyde Park and Carlswald Meadows in Midrand.