Centre expansion lures ‘big names'

Walmer Park Shopping Centre announced this week that it would be embarking on its fourth expansion since the centre opened 22 years ago and that it would be a “proudly Port Elizabeth” project with mainly local contractors getting on board.

Leonie Scheepers, spokesman for Growthpoint Properties - which owns and manages the centre - said the project would add up to 4000m² in shopping and parking space to the centre.

“This will be the fourth expansion to the centre since it was opened in 1988 with a size of approximately 18000m².

After the expansion, the centre will be in the region of 40000m² - more than double in the last 22 years.”

Scheepers added that they had also managed to secure Dischem as an anchor tenant and that the expansion would include increasing the size of the Woolworths.

“Negotiations to fill the remaining available space are ongoing.”

The team handling the project - Moors Milne and Kievit Architects Inc, Rousseau Probert and Elliot Quantity Surveyors, and SBT Construction Eastern Cape, were all “proudly Port Elizabeth companies”.

The other professionals include Clinkscales Maughan-Brown and Arcus Gibb Engineers.

“This expansion reflects the confidence shown in the retail sector in the metro, despite the economic downturn.

“It augurs well for the area as not only will consumers have a bigger and better choice, but it brings the metro in line with other cities in South Africa as far as a quality shopping experience is concerned.”

They expected to officially open the new part of the centre by 1 November 2010.

Source: The Herald