Harare is facing a critical shortage of good high-density housing options as the population increases and more people are moving to the city from rural areas. It’s estimated that the backlog of housing is over a million units. This scarcity has led to overcrowding and poor living conditions for many people in the middle or lower income bracket. The older high-density areas lack many important social amenities and life there is difficult. But all of this is about to change with an exciting new development taking place at Aspindale Park.
Aspindale Park is ideally situated at the intersection of High Glen and Kambuzuma Roads with easy access to the industrial sites and the city centre. There will be schools and day care centres as well as churches, supermarkets, a clinic, a filling station and an SME centre for the convenience of the residents. There will be 1,202 fully serviced stands offered with financing options from several major banks, making the stands very affordable. Stands range in size from 200 to 360 square metres.
There will be durable tarred roads throughout the development as well as security fencing and solar-powered street lights. There will be good access to water from both the council and from boreholes as well as reliable electricity supply and high-speed internet connectivity. A major part of the development included the 1,6 km trunk sewer line to connect the project to the existing municipal sewer system near High Glen Shopping Centre. They even have around 2,000 indigenous trees at a nursery waiting to be planted in the next wet season to green and beautify the area.
The project is being developed by a young and dynamic team trading as Aspindale Park and covers 55 hectares on one side of High Glen Road and a further 11 hectares across the road, mostly earmarked for commercial developments like SME’s (A Small to Medium Enterprise Market Place). There are also two primary schools, three churches, two daycare centres, two petrol filling stations and a clinic all within the master plan. The developers have worked closely with the City of Harare for planning approval and have met all the stringent requirements. It was planned in conjunction with local architect Mick Pearce, civil engineer John Goddard and Engineer Elijah Chifamba. Each stand has individual title deeds allowing buyers to have the security of tenure and peace of mind for the next generations.
While 200 square metres might seem like a modest amount of space the developers have built an amazing show house to demonstrate how much house can be accommodated on the stand. The show house has three bedrooms – the master bedroom has an en-suite bathroom – two other bedrooms with a family bathroom, and a very generous open plan kitchen, lounge and dining area. The demonstration house was designed by Gloria Sambaza and mostly built with goods and services provided by local companies eager to showcase their products.
Outside there’s parking space for two vehicles as well as an open area for a small garden or braai stand, a small vegetable patch for fresh homegrown vegetables and a drying area for laundry. It encompasses everything a small family needs as well as a sense of being connected to the local community. There are 12 different approved house plan options available as well as a list of preferred suppliers who offer substantial discounts for prospective home builders. The developers are recommending sustainable eco-friendly options for the homes which would include solar panels and an inverter bank for power supplies as well as gas for water heating and cooking, making it the first environmentally friendly high-density development in the country.
After around 18 months of planning, in cooperation with City of Harare Town Planning division, work on the development started earlier this year. Phase 1 has already been completed and stands are being snapped up with a lot of interest from Zimbabweans in the diaspora. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed before the end of the year with the final phase 3 being finished and ready for sale in early 2018.
For more information contact info@aspindalepark.co.zw, call George on 0777 658 734, Sheila on 0772 328 887 or visit their website www.aspindalepark.co.zw. They are also on Facebook and Twitter. It really is going to be a community like no other! Download PDF here.