WestProp unveils US$300m mixed-use estate in urban renewal push
VICTORIA Falls Stock Exchange-listed WestProp Holdings Limited yesterday began the development of the US$300 million Hills Luxury Golf Estate as its urban renewal push intensifies.
Apart from the construction of the world class golf course, the development will see the construction of villas, apartments, townhouses, country club, hotel, tennis and swimming academy and a shopping mall.
The golf course will be modelled after an 18-hole golf course used in the PGA Tour.
“Today’s launch, which will continue with the groundbreaking, starts the development of the rebranded Hills Luxury Estate, formerly known as Warren Hills Golf Club, into a mixed live, work, shop and play luxury lifestyle estate,” WestProp chief executive officer Ken Sharpe said yesterday.
“This is part of our contribution to the urban renewal projects as endorsed by the second republic. We are creating value of over US$300 million through this project. We are confident that by the time it is completed, the value of the investment of this project will have grown substantially.”
He said that the project would add 70 million bricks to their target of one billion bricks by 2050.
“This project that we are undertaking today is a legacy project. It brings many firsts for sub-Saharan Africa and to Zimbabwe. I believe this project will forever change perceptions of Harare and Zimbabwe,” Sharpe added.
“We are on a mission to make sure that one billion bricks are put in the ground by 2050 on all our projects and that includes Pokugara Residential Estate, Millennium Heights, Pomona City and the Hills Golf Estate. This project is going to consume an estimated 70 million bricks. So, this project alone will double our bricks to take us to over 150 million, almost 15% of the vision being realised.”
WestProp roped in renowned golf course designer Peter Matkovich and top architect Joan Balagué Capdet to the project.
“It is with great privilege that I welcome Joan Balagué Capdet. He flew in all the way yesterday from Barcelona, Spain. He is the man who designed this beautiful estate that we are unveiling today. He came up with a concept plan. His first time walking on this land was about two years ago,” Sharpe noted.
“He was involved and instrumental in doing the town plan to incorporate this mixed-use development into a smart city, where we have on the walls around your beautiful pictures of what it is that is being designed. He designed the homes.”
Sharpe said Matkovich will create an 18-hole world championship golf course.
“Peter came to see me a few years ago, he said to me, I not only designed the best golf courses in Africa and have won the most awards for the best golf courses, but I am also a man of the soil of Zimbabwe,” Sharpe said.
“He was born in Zimbabwe and he wanted to come back to Zimbabwe and leave his legacy, his mark in his later years on the best course that he has designed.”
Apart from this development, others WestProp projects include the Millennium Heights which is ongoing, Pokugara Residential Estate, Pomona City (ongoing), The Mall of Zimbabwe and Millennium Heights Office Park.