Atlantic Beach Estate

Situated amidst fynbos-covered dunes and set against the backdrop of  Table Mountain lies Atlantic Beach Estate.

A family-oriented community with more than 850 homes, this sprawling estate offers residents a lifestyle that combines outdoor living with a secure environment professionally run by the Atlantic Beach Homeowners’ Association. 

Under the leadership of CEO Harry White, this first-class management team is committed to promoting the interests of its residents and the estate in its entirety. Working closely with direction and support from the board, the homeowners’ association has applied healthy business principles while keeping a strong focus on the community culture within the estate.

“One of the main reasons people decide to buy a property in an estate is security. But once that has been achieved, they start to look further and want a more complete quality of life,” says White.

A safe environment

Given that he was once a presidential bodyguard, in addition to running the household of former president Nelson Mandela, White certainly knows all about security. And after recently spending in excess of R 4 million on security infrastructure upgrades (which are assessed and improved on annually), White is especially proud of how the estate has prioritised the safety of residents.

“By using a state-of-the-art video analytic perimeter surveillance designed to distinguish human form and alert our team when a threat approaches, we ensure that our security is of the highest standard. In addition, our 24/7 control room and operations officers provide access to a range of emergency services such as medical response and firefighting.”

White says that even though security is the most important aspect of the estate, it is important for the homeowners’ association to employ user-friendly options which impact positively on the residents’ lifestyles.

Family-driven

Atlantic Beach is about more than just secure living. Residents have access to an 18-hole links-style golf course and a Leisure Centre featuring a swimming pool, tennis courts, braai facilities, and a professionally run fitness centre.

“In addition to the many social events, restaurants, and activities offered by the Country Club, residents can participate in the numerous activities offered at the estate’s social hub, the Leisure Centre. These include everything from Pilates, aerobics and art classes to the very popular monthly night market for which Atlantic Beach Estate has become very well known.”

White says the estate is built around embracing family values and fostering community spirit. To this end, events are also arranged for the kids, such as the Village Fair, complete with Father Christmas arriving with gifts for all the children, chill areas with skateboard ramps for the teenagers, and various other activities during school holidays.

“Our demographic is very diverse, with many young families and professionals that commute to work and take their kids to school in the surrounding areas, right through to retirees enjoying the tranquillity offered by the estate. Our estate’s vision, which is “to provide Atlantic Beach Estate residents with an exclusive lifestyle, supported by a sustainable and secure environment in which to raise families and enjoy retirement years”, supports this notion.

Even though the estate is purely a residential space, fibre to the home is available throughout the estate.

One of the latest community-orientated initiatives White is particularly proud of is the book exchange on the estate. There are two boxes, situated at the two main gates, where residents can drop a book and pick another one. White explains that initiatives like this display, in a very visual manner, the strong sense of community, trust and wellbeing that exists on the estate. “We also have a weekly newsletter where we not only communicate to residents matters regarding all aspects of the estate, but we also ask our residents for fun and different ideas of what they would like to see implemented,” he says.

As such, the board meets for an annual strategy session where as a group they discuss the feasibility of forward-thinking ideas and management practices. Once he gets projects and budget allocated, he can run with it and provide feedback to the board.

“These strategy meetings examine every department in the estate in detail and provide us with a per department tick list of what we want to accomplish. While this might sound simplistic, it works very well for us and enables us to come up with many interesting and different things to implement.”

White explains that having a proactive and professional board, who are prepared to take decisions and then allow the management team to get on with their work, is essential to the success of the estate.

Environmentally focused

With much of the estate bordering the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, which accommodates over 600 plant species, including 45 Red Data species, it strives to be in complete harmony with its environment. Assisting management in achieving this very important requirement is the estate environmental management plan, which was put in place at development stage and is still in use today.

“Every home, every road and every building has been designed to preserve the unspoilt natural heritage of one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. All elements of the estate were built with a serious commitment to the preservation of the indigenous fauna and flora. This has resulted in an abundance of wild animals remaining on and around the estate as well as a rich abundance of fynbos species, and we run ongoing programmes to retain and reinstate this natural resource.”

White says that the homeowners’ association continues to introduce and update guidelines that will make it easier for residents to use solar power, water harvesting measures, boreholes, and the like.

Real Estate

White explained that in order to leverage national and international marketing exposure for the estate, the association concluded a very successful marketing agreement with Pam Golding Property. This partnership, in combination with various other initiatives, has resulted in Atlantic Beach homeowners enjoying 93% growth in property prices over a period of just five years. 

Managing change

Having been the CEO for Steenberg Estate for five years and now Atlantic Beach Estate, White knows how important it is for all aspects of an estate to share a vision and function in harmony.

For this reason, White believes that with the Association and the Country Club now working together to promote and advance the interests of the Atlantic Beach Estate as a whole, the estate has a very bright future.

“I started at the estate six years ago and as an estate we are extremely passionate about the work we are doing here. It is all about focusing on a family-friendly environment, giving our residents a complete quality of life experience, while ensuring long-term financial stability.”