Land development for The Innovation Hub approved
A Record of Decision approving the development of The Innovation Hub in Pretoria has been recorded in the final report of the Development Facilitation Act (DFA) Tribunal released recently.
The report, having taken full account of all submissions and objections according to the statuted process, reflects the Tribunal's approval of the land development application by the University of Pretoria to establish a science and technology park on a part of its experimental farm adjacent to the N1 highway. The existing land use on the rest of the experimental farm is not in any way affected by this application and will remain exactly as it is currently being utilised.
The Innovation Hub, one of the 11 Blue IQ projects, is a joint initiative between the Gauteng Provincial Government and SERA, an alliance between the University of Pretoria and the CSIR, to create a science and technology park in South Africa that will be developed according to international best practice, while responding to local business needs. Board Chairman of The Innovation Hub, Mr Neo Moikangoa, has welcomed the ruling and said that the work of building a powerful element of the Blue IQ portfolio of projects can now begin.
Prof Calie Pistorius, the Principal of the University of Pretoria, has also welcomed the decision. "The development of the Hub will benefit the local community and civil society at large. It will enhance the reputation of Tshwane as the intellectual capital of the country by significantly adding to the research and development capabilities of the region and specifically the University of Pretoria and the CSIR," he said.
The approved 60 ha site has a developable land area of approximately 31 ha with an ultimate leaseable floor area of 121 000 m2. The remaining 29 ha, including a natural hillside, will be kept pristine. The entire site will be managed according to an Environmental Management Plan.
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| A conceptual representation of the urban design for the development of The Innovation Hub. The green areas around the area that will be developed include a natural hillside (front right hand corner of drawing marked in light green), which will be kept pristine. The entire site will be managed according to an Environmental Management Plan. |
The development will be undertaken in cooperation with the City of Tshwane as the metropolitan municipality within which the development is situated. According to Chief Operating Officer, Mr Wonder Nkosi, "this is an important project that supports the City of Tshwane's Integrated Development Plan and is indeed a new wave that will not only promote economic development but also position Tshwane among the networks of local governments worldwide."
The aim of the project is to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the region and increase local and international investment. Blue IQ CEO Pradeep Maharaj believes that "given Gauteng's large concentration of research skills and infrastructure, and a massive cost advantage in developing new products and processes, The Innovation Hub is ideally positioned to attract foreign R&D companies and develop a significant R&D outsourcing industry."
In addition to its international appeal, Sandy Lowitt, Chief Strategic Officer at Blue IQ, believes that The Innovation Hub will play a significant role in unleashing intellectual property already existent in the local economy by offering support systems to help commercialise intellectual property and penetrate new markets for the application of these new products, services and processes. "The Innovation Hub is an important contributor to a larger Gauteng economic goal of increasing the contribution of knowledge intensive industries to the provincial economy's GGP," according to Lowitt. The National R&D strategy gives particular endorsement to leading provincial initiatives such as The Innovation Hub that will build the knowledge economy of South Africa.
The Innovation Hub will accommodate a range of participants, from early stage companies in business incubation to development facilities for major corporates. The master plan for the development focuses on building a knowledge intensive business community by encouraging interaction, collaboration and networking. The Innovation Hub Management Company CEO Dr Neville Comins says that the first challenge now is to get the infrastructure development under way. "This decision allows us to proceed at a pace and to continue our negotiations with prospective tenants. While this process is ongoing, our pilot activities enable us to learn while doing, and ensure that the Hub moves onto its site as a going concern in 2004. We have already achieved a number of successes with our pilot activities," he said.
According to Comins initiatives like The Innovation Hub will help keep talent in South Africa by providing an environment in which skilled and talented people can build businesses that can compete globally. This is an important element in developing Gauteng as a "smart" province and Tshwane as the intellectual capital of the country.
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