The 50+hectare Sheffield Business Park development, on the corner of Lansdowne Road and Vanguard Drive, is one of the largest single, multi-use commercial and industrial project in the Cape in recent times says Broll Property Group director William Wakefield, exclusive marketing consultants to the project.

 ‘Positioned almost equidistant between Cape Town CBD and the international airport, with easy access to the N2, M5, R300 and N1, it is an ideal location as a distribution hub. In fact, the Spar Group have commenced construction of a 40 000m² regional distribution centre on a 12-hectare site at Sheffield Business Park for their growing business,’ says Wakefield.

The upsurge in economic activity has depleted the market of vacant industrial space – particularly for those requiring large volumes. This coupled with the specific needs of modern users – wide turning circles for interlink truck and trailers for example – has sparked a scramble for the development of new tailor-made space.

Sheffield Business Park falls within the Lansdowne Corridor redevelopment programme, a government initiative focused on upgrading one of the busiest arterial commuting routes from the Cape Flats to the city centre. It is also on the doorstep of an abundant labour pool.

‘While there are selected opportunities for owner-occupiers, the primary focus is to build customised turn-key solutions for local and national tenants. In spite of a significant shift to owner-occupiers – particularly for smaller users – there remains a large section of the market that prefers the flexibility of remaining a tenant. It’s all about focusing on your core business.’

The Cavaleros Group, a developer with an impeccable track record, is behind the project – they recently were in the final bidding process for the purchase of the V&A Waterfront.

In addition to dealing with the sales and tenanting of Sheffield Business Park the Broll team have played an integral part in coordinating the entire project. ‘There’s more to creating a successful project than merely buying and selling of land. Broll brings a multi-dimensional approach to a project of this magnitude; assisting with feasibility studies, advising on owner/tenant mix and marketing.’

According to Wakefield there has been unprecedented interest from a broad range of users. ‘The access to arterial routes makes distribution an automatic focus but the proximity to a huge residential base also ensures that staff for light manufacturing and food processing are plentiful. This also opens a number of retail and office opportunities on the Lansdowne Road-facing boundary.’

Security and aesthetics haven’t been forgotten. In addition to extensive indigenous landscaping, Sheffield’s perimeter will be secured and controlled with patrols and close-circuit television cameras. The central manned access point will be manned around the clock and also offer a restaurant or coffee shop opportunity serving Park users.

‘This is the one of the few options in the greater Cape Town precinct at the moment for large users to locate to custom-designed space. Businesses looking to grow their presence in the local market should act quickly to secure their space in this well positioned development.’