From gas plant to posh property development

a new, upmarket development is to be built in a neglected section of cottesloe/auckland park on the egoli gas property.
the land is to be turned into a mixed-use development consisting of shops, entertainment, education, offices, a hotel and residential units.
the education facilities are likely to include private colleges, linked to wits university and the university of joburg, computer training and network centres.
the historical buildings on the site, dating back to 1928, will be incorporated in the development to preserve the site's character.
the history of egoli gas echoes that of joburg.
the first town gas was supplied in 1892 from a site on president street. the gas concession was taken over by the johannesburg lighting co ltd. later, the gas works was relocated to cottesloe and came into operation on december 23, 1928.
by 1992, egoli gas (pty) ltd, then known as metro gas, no longer manufactured its own gas, but bought it from sasol.
the site to be redeveloped lies between the m7 to the west and m1 to the east and is in the valley of the braamfontein spruit.
the old buildings and gas generation facilities have been stripped of their equipment and are not in use, although several of the buildings are important heritage structures, according to mandy van der westhuizen of v&l landscape architects.
the coal gasification plant was decommissioned in 1994, but activities during its operational life have left large portions of the site contaminated.
these would be rehabilitated in terms of specialist specifications to render the site usable again, she said.
egoli gas's current activities on the site included storage and redistribution of gas from sasol to various end-users, and this would continue, van der westhuizen added.
the development will be about 110 000m178. one of the three gas tanks will be removed, and two will be retained as operational storage tanks.
the existing buildings on the site include a collection of redbrick industrial buildings, and include many interesting and rare steel functional attachments. the interiors of these buildings have a "cathedral-like" quality, thanks to rooftop windows.
"the proposed development includes the development of exciting shopping spaces by removing minor structural elements. in addition, diverse spaces in and around the buildings will be enhanced by freestanding structures like hoists, chimneys and walkways," van der westhuizen said.
speaking on the safety of building on a gasworks site, she said there was no legislation governing the development of residential or retail space, or any kind of development, next to a gas storage tower.
"there is legislation that works the other way around - that which controls the installation of gas storage/distribution infrastructure within a built-up area. this is not applicable, as the gas towers are already existing and operating legally," she said.
safety regarding the operation of the gas storage and distribution infrastructure is controlled by egoli gas according to its operational management plans and licence conditions.
safety in terms of the contaminated site, and the risks it could represent to users of the future development, are being addressed through a process of risk assessment and remediation planning undertaken by contamination specialists in terms of international safety standards.
egoli gas is owned by a private company, and according to it, the site was a national key point in the apartheid years.
"however, egoli gas is not aware of any such status at present, nor has the question of the site as a national key point emerged or been discussed in any contract, operating licence or deed of sale since 2000, when egoli gas was privatised," van der westhuizen said, adding that the development filled a need for retail, office space and student accommodation in the area.