Town and country

At a time of tumult in the property industry, Southdowns Residential Estate’s solid performance over its 14-year history is a reassurance to residents and would-be purchasers alike.

It’s difficult to imagine that a bucolic idyll exists just a few kilometres outside of our capital city – but, with its farms and flat horizons, that’s just what Irene is.

According to Southdowns Residential Estate’s Daleen Hennig, the location in the middle of this country wonderland is just one of the many aspects that makes this destination quite unlike any other. ‘The estate has an interesting history, stretching back to the time when Hugo Nellmapius owned the land which was to become Irene,’ she explains. Fast forward more than 100 years, when the current owners of the Irene Dairy Farm joined forces with Centurus development company to earmark the 200 hectares that would become Southdowns Residential Estate, and an entirely new concept in estate living was born. Estate lore holds that some of the would-be purchasers were so eager to buy into Southdowns that they spent the night before the 2004 launch camped outside the gates.

Their enthusiasm was born out of Southdown’s easy blend of country retreat and urban accessibility. Just off the N3 highway and three minutes’ drive from Centurion’s Gautrain station, it feels as though it is a world away. ‘In essence, the estate functions as a farm community,’ Hennig explains. The 700 parcels of land that were initially made available for purchase each measure around 1,200 square metres, with options ranging from river to golf course or pasture frontage. A significant effort was  made to preserve the authentic farm atmosphere by reserving 46 hectares for farming activity and/or conservation.

Hennig notes that the developers’ strategy hinges on reinvestment in the estate’s considerable range of amenities. These include a theatre, gym, trails for walking, hiking and cycling, a college and even sound recording studios, which are part of the Sports and Arts Exchange. Residents also enjoy direct access to the Southdowns shopping centre, the Irene  Country Club and other nearby facilities. Also noteworthy is the fact that energy is supplied to homes in the form of natural gas. This has made it possible for some of Southdowns’s residents to live partially off-grid.

Hennig says that although these various facets add to the estate’s attractiveness for investors and purchasers, the developers are well aware of the competitive nature of the residential estate market. Although Southdowns’s property values remain remarkably steady, it has taken a significant effort to maintain this stability. ‘Again, it comes down to the developer’s insistence on replacing, upgrading and updating the facilities on an ongoing basis.’ This approach applies equally to the estate’s security measures, she adds.

For residents, this translates into an estate that has appeal at many different levels. There’s the advantage of being able to conduct a professional career in one of the continent’s key cities, and return to a home that offers all the tranquillity of the countryside – but with none of the isolation or drawbacks that usually accompany a rustic lifestyle. There’s the plethora of facilities of an extraordinary calibre, and the solidity of an estate that has already emerged through the most difficult part of a development’s life cycle.

Going forward, Southdowns’s philosophy of reinvestment will ensure that the estate upholds its high standards, so that while the community values and steady pace of life seem an echo of the past, it will continue to attract future-focused investors.