Township establishment & Development Overview
Township establishment is a complex process of converting land into residential, commercial or industrial properties. Various specialists and professionals work together and provide their input including for instance, the likes of township and urban development planners, environmental consultants, engineers, surveyors, lawyers, property specialists and financial advisors.
The professionals each bring their expertise to the table to ensure that safety, sustainability, socio-economic and environmental aspects are taken into account and development is done in compliance with the relevant regulations.
It is a time consuming process and careful planning is required to minimise delays, which could lead to higher development costs. At the same time, the entire process must be thorough and must take various effects into consideration. With such in mind, intensive research and investigation must be carried out prior to the lodging of the application for township establishment. The feasibility of the project must be investigated with consideration of all the factors and consequences of the project.
It is essential for the developer to work with a professional team of township planners and environmental consultants, such as The Practice Group, in the identification and management of factors that will influence the project. This will help the developer to focus on the important resources to reduce the risk of under budgeting or overrunning the planned budget because of delays that will lead to financial losses and the risk of complete project failure.
Township establishment and development entail several phases, which can roughly be divided into:
- Idea or concept –where the developer identifies land suitable for the type of development in mind or investigates possible development options on a piece of land already in his ownership.
- Preliminary investigation –to establish feasibility and thus profitability of such a development, which takes into consideration factors such as cost estimates, risks and cash-flow projections.
- Site control –purchasing of the site, securing of financing, permission and zoning of the land for the particular land usage.
- Feasibility analysis –analysis of financial, legal, market, environmental, socio-economic and site aspects.
The other phases include:
- Financing
- Construction
- Marketing
The township establishment process is relevant to any type of township development and must be done in compliance with the regulations and provisions of the town planning and township ordinances of the particular province.
The Practice Group has extensive experience in township development and planning and has participated in projects ranging from residential townships, such as the Chief Albert Luthuli Park, to filling stations and urban renewal projects. View our full scope of services and contact us for assistance in resort, residential, industrial or commercial urban development and township establishment.