‘Once you have lived in Assagay, you won’t want to live anywhere else.’

That’s the word according to Keith Wakefield, and he should know. Keith is owner of Wakefields, chairman of MortgageSA, a successful developer in his own right and, after more than three decades in the game, one of the most influential and experienced real estate experts in South Africa.

The Assagay he is referring to is one of four suburbs in the outer reaches of KwaZulu-Natal’s Upper Highway region. They run in a corridor west of the boom town of Hillcrest. Assagay and, on the plateau above it, the agricultural community of Alverstone, lie on Kassier Road that links Hillcrest and the M13 motorway. Across the M13, lie the horsy hot spots of Shongweni and, further west, Summerveld, home of horse-racing in KwaZulu-Natal and the only jockey academy in South Africa.

‘The region is midway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and close to Hillcrest. It offers country living, but with the conveniences of town. Land sizes can be two hectares (five acres) and upwards, which is perfect for horse owners and small-scale farmers,’ says Keith.

Smallholding prices in Assagay start at around R1.9-million, while entry-level prices are around R1.3-million for 2 000m2 for residential property. In Summerveld, prices range from R3.5- to R10-million or even more. At Alverstone, the smallest property is three hectares and entry-level prices around R4-million.

To be sure, the countryside here is KwaZulu-Natal at its travel-brochure best. It features every possible country life cliché you can imagine … sloping green hills latticed with groves of pine, oak, eucalyptus and jacaranda; verdant valleys networked by rivers and streams; open pastureland; great roller-coaster swathes of sweeping sugar cane; farmhouses; farm stalls; nurseries; bush bars; stables; riders on horseback; a weekly farmers’ market – the works. Potters and sculptors labour at their whirling wheels; fish eagles and sparrow hawks soar on thermal updrafts; rhino and buffalo snuffle about the bush in the wilderness area near Shongweni Dam, while each day at Summerveld the rising sun silhouettes graceful racehorses on the run. And in winter, when the cold air sweeps in from the sea, the sky is a towering cathedral of solid white cloud stretching to the far horizon.

A rural idyll. KwaZulu-Natal’s very own Camelot. But not for very much longer.

The imminent development of the area is the inevitable knock-on effect of the development that’s changed the region’s main town, Hillcrest, from a smallholding with streetlights into a traffic-clogged strip mall in less than a decade.

The biggest news is that the Tongaat Hulett Group, the company that owns all that sugar cane, has freed up some 1 750 hectares of their fields to create what could eventually become a brand-new town.

According to TC Chetty, Director: Planning and Development Coordination for Tongaat Hulett Developments (THD), the project will entail a series of phases, probably over the next ten years or so. Says TC: ‘Shongweni Phase 1 is planned as a residential area, and the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process is expected to go to the public early this year. It will be situated in the Assagay Valley, between Kassier Road and Hillcrest. Future phases will be located between it and Shongweni Dam.’

According to TC, Shongweni will be THD’s trademark mixed-use development, combining residential, commercial and leisure aspects with some mixed-use blocks and even buildings, and other areas set aside for one specific use, possibly even urban agriculture. He added that the creation of permanent employment, not just during the construction phase, is intrinsic to the development model. TC is adamant that THD has no intention of changing the area’s traditional ambience and says the company will focus on job creation, economic growth and environmental sustainability.

‘Security is also a key aspect of this sort of managed environment. As with our other development projects, Shongweni will feature buildings and spaces designed to promote good visibility and lighting, combined with CCTV monitoring, regular patrols and a 24-hour communications centre,’ says TC.

So how does the process work?

TC explains: ‘THD works in partnership with the municipality to ensure the relevant services and infrastructure are in place. Mutual agreement determines the extent of responsibility, as this varies according to numerous factors, such as whether the roads are private or public, and the type of services and upgrades required.’

THD does the planning, obtains the environmental approvals and ensures the required services and infrastructure are in place. Land is then sold or leased to developers who build the projects and are free to sell or let the properties. A management association is formed for each development to take care of the upkeep.

On the thorny issue of potential environmental disruption, TC says: ‘There are several aspects to the environment. People often think purely of “green” issues but a really sustainable environment is much more than that and includes human, economic and social considerations. At Shongweni, we are mindful of the current open-space ethic, as well as the existing lifestyle that attracts people to the area. Preserving sensitive areas is as vital as anything else in such a project. Our architectural guidelines will create an identity for the development, ensure developments blend in with the environment and help maintain the lifestyle that is so much a part of it. In addition, Shongweni will be integrated with existing equestrian and recreational facilities.’

TC, along with other role-players in the region, believes the Shongweni project will also help ease the massive demand for land in central Hillcrest.
While THD is keeping numbers and figures close to its chest for now, a local resident who has been party to the Shongweni plan since its inception is more forthcoming. She’s Lilian Develing, feisty chairman of the (take deep breath) Confederation of Mistbelt Ratepayers and Residents Associations, a.k.a. Conomirra.

Conomirra is the region’s tireless watchdog. Driven by the indefatigable Lilian, it’s been safeguarding the interests of ratepayers for the past 13 years and its guard-dog alertness to dodgy building projects, dubious developments, ridiculous rates hikes, wonky waste management, crime, corruption and environmental degradation has undoubtedly saved the Upper Highway from becoming an unsightly industrial slum.

Says Lilian: ‘I was invited to the initial planning exercises with Tongaat Hulett’s development division (or Moreland, as it was known then). First thing we did was identify the environmental no-go areas. For example, the area around the Msinsi Reserve and Shongweni Dam has large areas of valleys, forests, waterways and abundant wildlife.

‘The shopping precinct will be mixed-use, with flats, entertainment, business, shops – the lot. That way the centre won’t die at night. It is ideal as it will go up on the land between the N3 (that links Durban with the interior) and the M13. Housing, light industry, recreation, equestrian estates, tourist attractions have all been looked at. The environmental guarantees are in the Environmental Planning Regulations, NEMA and municipal environmental policies. Also, the N3 will be upgraded in time and a new toll is being considered to finance this.’
According to Lilian, other new projects planned for the region include a hospital on Kassier Road in Assagay. ‘The EIA and zoning (institutional) have gone through. They hope to begin in March. Meanwhile, an application is in for a retirement home and frail-care centre across the road from the new hospital. This will rise on the site of the old Hornby Lifestyle Centre, which was sold recently for more than R30-million. There’s also talk of a dry port at Cato Ridge (further inland) to handle shipping containers. And if the sea rises to the levels predicted, the coastal refineries will have to move inland as well.’

Meanwhile, Acutts Hillcrest principal Dave Jones remarks: ‘Assagay, Alverstone, Shongweni and Summerveld are all about specific lifestyle choices – obviously, equestrian pursuits top the list, but there are also those who simply want "life in the country".

‘Summerveld is horse heaven. The minimum plot size is five acres. Five years ago, plots of that size cost around R250 000. Today, even an unkempt plot will range between R1.4- and R1.7-million, while a level five-acre plot goes for between R2- and R2.3-million. Building costs in Summerveld average between R6- and R8-million for a decent-sized home.

Jones continues: ‘Assagay offers a unique mix of suburban country life, smallholdings and horse properties. All these areas are characterised by exceptional physical beauty. Green slopes, plentiful water, swirling mist, healthy vegetables, chickens and horses are all part of the blend.

‘Recently, there has been a policy decision to slow down the accelerating demand for gated communities. The Outer West Council has now halted the rezoning of agricultural land to residential usage for the next five years. This means that agricultural land plots are now never less than two acres, with five acres and more the norm.

‘However, Assagay also has easy freeway access and this has led to two exciting residential developments. First of these is Queensbridge Country Estate, which already has 40 completed units and which focuses on family life and security. The development was launched four years ago and sold Natal-veranda style units of 350m² each at R1-million. Now they’re going for R1.85-million. Families with young children really feel secure here and the old-fashioned activities of riding your bike with your friends or making use of the extensive communal recreation facilities are the norm. These facilities are in an old quarry site and include a huge rock swimming pool, heated Jacuzzi, fishing dam, children’s playground and entertainment pavilion. The estate also boasts hiking trails and will offer 12 stables for horses. As you can see, it’s all about lifestyle.’

Jones reckons the Alverstone area can be summed up in two words: ‘sought after.’ The major property attraction in the area is Stoneford Equestrian Estate, a fenced community with 24-hour security. Bordering the Valley of a Thousand Hills, this 210-acre family estate will offer 57 freehold sites with a minimum property size of 3 600m² and a minimum house size of 300m². Plots will range from R1.45- to R2-million.

According to Jones it will be a genuine equestrian paradise with 60 acres of paddocks, 60 stables and even indoor and outdoor arenas. He says almost half the land has been set aside as conservation and wetland areas, including four stocked dams and extensive outride trails.

As in any boom market, people get a trifle greedy and prices soar, sometimes unrealistically so. Zel Singleton, Pam Golding Properties Hillcrest principal, says, ‘Over the past three to five years, there has been a property price appreciation around the 500 per cent mark. Given the rate of growth here, most sellers are asking fair prices, but not always. Sellers need to adjust their mindsets and realise the market has swung back in favour of the buyer, who will no longer pay inflated prices.’

Zel believes the market will remain relatively quiet at least until this month due to the Credit Act and the Reserve Bank’s pre-Christmas rates hike.

But if you want the real skinny on what’s going on in this region, you need to talk to the doyenne of local agents, the ineffable Di Apsey. Di runs her eponymous agency from Gillitts and has been operating in the Upper Highway area for 34 years. She offers an insider’s overview of the area, explaining that Summerveld, Shongweni and Alverstone are zoned as agricultural land and therefore there is little commercial development. Shongweni, however, is also zoned for potential tourism use and Di says a British couple recently bought a property, without having seen it, from her and established a successful boutique brewery. ‘Many phone calls and pictures flew to and fro, but they never actually saw it before the transfer was registered,’ says Di.

She explains that smallholdings predominate in Alverstone, Shongweni and Summerveld and she has properties ranging from R1.3- to R8-million on her books. Assagay has a mixed bag, including plots of 1 800m² (starting price R500 000), high-density townhouses and a few smallholdings in the valley.The latter are priced from R2.4- to R5.6-million.

Twenty years ago, city slickers still regarded Summerveld as the outback, inhabited by wealthy Beverly Hillbillies and eccentric equestrians. At the time, recalls Di, most of the houses were not the sort you’d find in the glossy pages of Architectural Digest. ‘Some of them were truly awful. I remember advertising one about 15 years ago as "The most HORRIBLE house I have ever seen" (with the owners’ permission, of course). Not long ago, it sold for R4.2-million. Funnily enough, that advert attracted the most response I’ve ever had.’

Di happily reports that property sales are soaring in her area and she’s sold at least 100 properties in the Summerveld-Assagay area, the most recent a five-acre, R7.8-million Summerveld property. Three years ago she’d sold that same property for R2.7-million (a large sum at the time, particularly for a shell on a bare plot). She says Summerveld and Alverstone are so pricey and in demand because they are relatively close to town and the plots there are large. ‘Shongweni used to be very no-go because of its proximity to townships and its accessibility but that is starting to change. However, one needs to be wary of potential land claims there,’ she cautions.

Although she calls the THD development ‘the next big thing in the area’, she also says it remains to be seen how much space they will leave for horses. ‘I think they will do a Mount Edgcombe-type development, but there is also an element of light industry on the cards.’

Then there’s the question of the long-established Durban Shongweni Club. The polo and equestrian club is on prime land at the entrance to Shongweni. Di says it has been under very heavy pressure from developers, but has so far fended off several offers.

In a similar vein, Conomirra’s Lilian says: ‘The Summerveld people are getting jittery about their ability to have outrides once the cane is gone. Technically, they’ve been there by grace and favour and no developer will put areas aside for their neighbours – horsey or otherwise – and pay for the maintenance.’

Lilian says there’s talk of negotiations to relocate the Durban Shongweni Club. ‘Their land is in trust, but its constitution can be changed if enough members agree. Tongaat Huletts’s TC Chetty has said he will give them a piece of land and build their infrastructure to the value of any land given up. But nothing’s concrete.’

It’s obvious much of the Upper Highway’s bucolic, laid-back lifestyle has gone for good but Lilian believes development is not out of control. ‘It is meeting a demand. Over the years, the municipality has faced the problem of expansion running ahead of existing infrastructure. Now, the authorities are planning all the way up to 2050 for the development of the region and, for the past three years, the council has charged a development fee of R10 000 per subdivision or new housing unit. This has gone towards road upgrades and sewerage systems.’

No matter how much development is to take place, Lilian believes the region’s country character will never be totally lost. ‘This area is a convenient springboard for the mountains or the coast and there will still be plenty of "green lung" space out here. Many developers now realise people don’t want to live cheek by jowl and are building estates that have space.’