Boschendal launches Founders' Estate
2006-11-23
“THERE is no other place on earth that offers what Boschendal offers.”
With these words South African golfing maestro Gary Player sang the praises of this prestigious wine estate during the launch of the Boschendal Founders Estates.
Player and his son Marc have each committed themselves to buy a Founders'' Estate to the value of R20 million at the Boschendal wine estate.
Player has worked on several previous projects with Clive Venning, CEO of the new Boschendal owners consortium.
The new consortium’s plan will have a low visual impact on the countryside. Less than 6% of the total 2240 ha of land area, said Venning, will in fact be built on and the consulting architects Dennis Moss and Associates have put forward plans for the increase of tree canopies and expensive plant screenings which will add some 15% to Boschendal’s green coverage.
The new consortium pledged themselves to cede the historic Boschendal Manor House to the nation and to keep it and its related restaurants, wine tasting and other facilities in good repair and open to the public.
“Our follow-up proposals (phase 2) include 23 villages with some 350 homes (on the sites of former Boschendal labourers’ cottages now no longer in use), a retirement village (with 500 units), a boutique 120 room hotel and a small commercial centre (on the site of the local railway siding, also now no longer in use).
“None of this development will be on productive farmland and all of it will incorporate the visual impact and aesthetic guidelines that we have insisted will be applied throughout all development here.
According to Venning, the developers spent a solid twelve months on the preparation of their SDI – the Sustainable Development Initiative - and the IDF – the Intergrated Development Framework.
These were completed in October 2004 and were submitted to the Stellenbosch Municipality and the Department of Agriculture.
They had, said Venning, involved a cost of over R1 million and had called for the input of some 20 consultants. The two authorities to which the proposals were submitted in May 2006 accepted the proposals – with certain amendments – but requested that SAHRA, the South African Heritage Resources Agency, review the plans for final adjustments.
“At the time,” said Venning, “it was understood that this would take six weeks. It has in fact now taken 18 months and has resulted in the revised and extended document now entitled The Boschendal Heritage Management Plan which covers some 200 pages.
The document incorporates the amendments that followed two sets of appeals to accommodate objectors’ viewpoints and outlooks."
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