De Poort, in Southern Paarl, is currently home to a museum that displays some amazing historical items dating back to the early 1900s to the period when Paarl was a leader in the wagon building industry in SA.
I did a short video of De Poort a few years back – you can view it below
Drakenstein Municipality intends to lease the De Poort Property, with a size of 17000m2, for a period of 30 years, which could see new amenities, like a restaurant, coffee shop, new residential and retail opportunities, as well as a tourism hub/gateway. It will also establish a bus depot, which will move away from the Shell garage.
The purpose of this is for local economic and development; to establish an integrated and multifunctional space that serves mainly as the tourism gateway to the Paarl and Drakenstein area, offering an integrated facility that encompasses a variety of recreational and small-scale retail activities to the local community as well residential and hotel accommodation component, which will compliment and encourage the organic regeneration of existing uses/activities/business types.
There is a planned 4-stage development programme, which includes the following:
- DEVELOPMENT STAGE
- Tourism office to be established at De Poort;
- Landscaping for stage 1;
- Provision of a bus stop (move from Shell Main Road);
- A market as well as a coffee shop, deli or café; and
- Land use applications for development stage 2 to be submitted.
2. DEVELOPMENT STAGE 2
- Restaurants;
- Residential opportunities;
- Manufacturing and retail; and
- Landscaping for development stage 2.
3 DEVELOPMENT STAGE 3
- Manufacturing;
- Retail;
- Hotel;
- Pavilion restaurant;
- Residential; and
- Landscaping for development stage 3.
4 DEVELOPMENT STAGE 4
- Ancillary land uses to the development; and
- Landscaping for development stage 4
The project like a really exciting project for Paarl, which will of course create employment opportunities. It will be interesting to see who takes up the 30 years lease, and what they have planned to create an environment that attracts all of the Paarl community.
Here are sketches of the current vs the planned version of the De Poort area.
