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Upgrade changes the face of Parliament St

Sipho Masondo, Herald Reporter

THE upgrade of Central‘s notorious Parliament Street in Nelson Mandela Bay is already bearing fruit, with businessmen and estate agents in the area touting it as the best thing yet to have happened to the entertainment hub. The Parliament Street facelift, together with other developments like the upgrading of Govan Mbeki Avenue and proposed upgrades to the Donkin Reserve, Strand Street, the Old Tramways Building and the lower Baakens Valley, forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality‘s vision of creating a world-class, people-friendly inner city, free of crime and grime.

Parliament Street businessmen said yesterday that not only had the upgrade resulted in an increased bottom line, it had also been instrumental in the departure of drug lords, criminals and loiterers. Moreover, the upgrade had attracted more businesses in the area, and inspired expansions and property owners to refurbish their properties.

Parliament Street Business Forum chairman Etienne Barkhuysen, owner of the Zanzibar coffee shop, said: “There has been a serious turnaround here. People say the place looks like Rosebank and Melville. This will be the ultimate place to meet people for coffee. “The pavements are always full with people sipping their cocktails, especially between 5pm and 7pm.
“The turnover has improved tremendously. Our clients are people from all walks of life, young, old, businessmen and tourists.”

Loxion Sports Bar manager Kaya Okwaranta, who has just given the bar a facelift, said: “If you buy a new shirt, you also have to buy a new set of shoes. You can‘t have an area where the street and surroundings are nice and the shops and buildings are in a bad condition. We want to make things nice for all people. You can see for yourself, the place is good and vibey.”
Merrick Gray, who intends opening Cafe Ciento, another coffee shop, next to Zanzibar at the end of March, said: “There is such a demand for coffee shops that we can‘t even accommodate everyone.

“We intend having parties and all sort of things here in time to come.”

Following the upgrade, Parliament Street is now home to a wide array of businesses ranging from coffee shops, laundrettes, night clubs, tuck shops, hair salons, restaurants and offices.

The street is now a one-way, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare, with wide pavements, decorations, ample parking, street lighting and trees.

It is set to relive its glory days, during which tourists and visitors roamed freely – a far cry from the acrid stench resulting from a mixture of human waste, urine and alcohol that had grown to be characteristics of the area before the upgrade.
Hair salon owner Arthur Tlhalatsi was equally happy with the development. “It‘s really a good thing. Most of the drug dealers have left this place. They don‘t like the bright lights at night. But some are still around and the cops must do something about them.”


Clyde Young, of Realty Wize Properties, who has an office in Parliament Street, said Central was no longer a place of gloom and doom. “The municipality is spending a lot of money on infrastructure in Central and the central business district. Investors are making use of tax incentives – if registered businesses upgrade their properties they can claim the amount spent.”

He said all the recent municipal developments would breathe new life into the historic Central area, which has become a notorious haven for drug lords, criminals and prostitutes, overshadowing the beautiful parks and artistic and colourful Victorian buildings.
“Until 2004 Central was dead, no one was spending on anything, and Parliament Street had a low grade and low- quality tenants,” Young said.

“Now the street is like a shopping centre, there are a lot of inquiries from upmarket bars, restaurants and coffee shops. We also need a lot of entertainment-based retail in the area,” Young said.
By the end of the year, he said, the area would be back to its original shape, with almost all properties fully occupied.
22 February 2012      

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