West is best for a number of blue chip tenants and is one of the reasons why property developer, J.T. Ross recently launched a second development within the sought after Westside Office Park.
This office space is ideal for those companies wishing to establish an A grade facility in Durban. As the last opportunity for a company to move into a new build in the office park, it is receiving much interest.
J.T. Ross Development Director, Grant Smith, confirmed that earthworks for the new building had already been completed. He said that the project team was currently finalising the designs for the building.
It comprises 11 000m2 of office space spread over four floors, making it the largest office building in the office park. Its contemporary design and surrounding indigenous landscaping will see it blend easily into its upmarket surrounds. J.T. Ross intends integrating it into the neighbouring Building 1 which the property developer has recently fully tenanted.
Westway Office Park – with Westside Office Park is a “park within a park” – and a professionally managed and maintained private office precinct. It offers a secure environment with a single controlled entrance and exit. A recent R2 million upgrade of the entrance with new islands, turning zones and traffic lights has ensured ease of access and improved traffic flow.
Additional attractions include ample parking and its location opposite the Pavilion and Westville Hospital, making it easy for clients, tenants and employees to access transport as well as amenities in the banking, retail and medical sectors.
Smith said that amenities within the park are being constantly upgraded, starting with an onsite coffee shop for which J.T. Ross had already secured the building rights. This would benefit both tenants of Westside Building 2 and others in the park.
“We believe it is a good time to bring in more stock in the West. We are excited about it. It is a confident, bold step that needs to be taken. We are of the opinion that the Westway office node is a choice alternative to the north of Durban – and a slightly different product that has already proved a great location for a number of corporate tenants,” Smith explained.
Key to the appeal of Westway as a whole is its location. The Westville area is classified as a central hub for businesses operating within the port precinct and the upper highway corridors and the office node is adjacent to the N3 interchange, providing quick access to the western areas of Durban as well as the north and south.
He says the growth of the city to the west is evident in the increased size of the residential corridor as well as commercial and retail developments including the Pavilion regional shopping mall which recently concluded a R228 million upgrade.
According to Smith, what sets Westway – and hence Westside Office Park – apart is the large concentration of corporate users giving it critical mass as opposed to smaller nodes in the Westville area.
Big name tenants include Pick n Pay, Smith & Nephew, Nedbank, Rainbow, Boxer Supertrade, Absa, BP, Cell C, Santam, Old Mutual, First National Bank, Ford Credit, Mutual & Federal, and various professional enterprises. Newcomers include Eskom and SMEC.
Smith says very few tenants relocate away from the Westway precinct and moves to bigger premises usually take place within the precinct. Consequently, there are few vacancies. “Tenants tend to relocate within the node which creates certainty for new users to come in. They find comfort in its completeness.”
The Westway office node was the result of a joint venture between Murray and Roberts and the eThekwini Municipality during the late nineties. The first buildings were completed in 1998.