Strand Street Concourse undergoes major refit

The entire network is often confused as being a part of the Golden Acre Mall, which incidentally is the oldest mall in South Africa. The concourse allows for protected pedestrian movement across busy Strand Street and Adderley Street, with a number of exit points into the heart of the central business district.

A foot count conducted during the feasibility stage of the upgrade project revealed that about 62,000 people moved through the concourse per day. The foot count was done on a clear day and it is assumed that this number could be higher when it rains. Additionally, the results revealed that an estimated 33% of pedestrian traffic occurs between the morning peak of 7am and 9am, and 43% in the afternoon peak between 4pm and 6pm.

Integral thoroughfare to the CBD

"The time patterns indicate that the Strand Street Concourse is an integral thoroughfare to the CBD, rather than a destination. One can comfortably deduce that pedestrians make use of the concourse to avoid the heavy vehicular traffic. They are able to move quickly without being hindered by traffic lights to get across the busy intersection. In addition, the concourse offers protection from inclement weather conditions," said the city’s mayoral committee member for assets and facilities management, Councillor Stuart Diamond.

With the incorporation of commercial activities, the management of the concourse became fragmented as its status gradually shifted to that of an informal mall. This led to the original purpose and functionality as a pedestrian thoroughfare being whittled away to be replaced by the activities of a mall over time.

Eventually this caused an overall collapse of a cohesive management system for the facility that ultimately led to a decay of the infrastructure and deterioration of the lease management of the commercial activities. An example of this is the escalators that have been in a state of disrepair for many years and the fact that the concourse could not be closed after hours, leading to this once bustling public space becoming a haven for anti-social behaviour.

Feasibility study done

The city’s property management department stepped into the fold in 2012 and decided to consolidate all management functions of the concourse under its own control. A specialist consultant was appointed to conduct a feasibility study on the business model of the facility.

"The recommendations of this feasibility study, coupled with the shortage of office space in the Civic Centre, resulted in the facility being earmarked for use as municipal offices instead of pursuing the commercial route once again. The concourse as a public walkway will not be affected by this decision to use the space for municipal purposes," said Diamond.

The scope of work, which started in September 2016, includes the following:

• Replacing the six escalators as well as the design and construction of new escalator landings at street level to provide ease of access for pedestrians,
• Retiling the entire area,
• Fitting new shop fronts throughout the space,
• Compliance with all health and safety requirements,
• Installing new lighting and a new electrical reticulation system,
• Cladding of all pillars,
• Installing building control systems,
• Maximising the commercial and office space,
• Upgrading the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system,
• Installing new roller shutter doors at all entrances,
• Construction of a banking court to cater for ATMS of all the major banks,
• Construction of a municipal court with holding cells, and
• Construction of new ablution facilities.

The entire refit, spanning 1,752m², has now reached the last mile of the major construction work.

Upon completion, public interface services will include two community courts, municipal pay points, a centre management office, and offices to accommodate the city’s Departments of Social Development, Building Development Management and Environmental Management. These public interface offices will operate during normal working hours and will be closed from 10pm to 6am daily for security reasons.