New mixed use neighbourhood in Barlow Park

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30 June 2022

Sandton, Africa’s richest square mile, is set to welcome a brand-new residential neighbourhood that will provide much needed affordable and quality housing.

The R3 billion development broke ground in June with bulk earthworks commencing on the first phase. The development is being led by Divercity and Atterbury, in partnership with Barloworld, Twin City and the Moolman Group. This transformative development will ultimately comprise 4,100 affordable residential units in 11 apartment blocks, which will be served by free-for-resident amenities such as a recreation centre, clubhouse, pool, business centre, coffee shop, gym and sports facilities. All this will be set within an urban forest among lush green landscaping and manicured gardens. Several of Barlow Park’s new buildings have been designed around the trees growing on the site. All indigenous trees in the precinct will be preserved during the construction process.

Barlow Park’s public space will include 5,500sqm of retail in a vibrant open-air street-level neighbourhood with a Checkers, Clicks and featuring a generous mix of eateries, banking, and more. The neighbourhood is ideal for commuters to access as it is located on the corner of Katherine Street. The development plan allows for a primary school, high school (Curro Digi-Ed) and pre-school, a medical centre, as well as shared office space.

“Barlow Park is a breakthrough in the housing landscape in South Africa. This will be the first truly affordable rental precinct in such a premium node and will offer unmatched value for residential tenants. Through a combination of affordable pricing, exceptional location and diverse amenities we will set a new benchmark for the industry. We are extremely proud to bring this to the market,” says Jonathan Reader, Chief Investment Officer at Divercity.

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By 2030, the UN’s goal is to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services.

Our impact

Over the next five 5 years, Divercity expects to construct more than 10,000 new and green affordable residential units in centrally-located neighbourhoods, expanding housing options close to economic opportunity for low- and middle-income households. Construction of the new residential units will help address the growing housing deficit and issues of spatial segregation in South Africa.

By 2030, the UN’s goal is to develop reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

Our impact

Divercity is providing housing in locations that are connected to existing infrastructure, such as healthcare, schools, jobs and parks. This serves to reinforce accessible and equitable cities, as well as strives to break the destructive pattern of South Africa’s apartheid infrastructure and planning.

By 2030, the UN’s goal is to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related disasters

Our impact

More compact cities – enabled through the kind of development that Diversity advances – are associated with substantially lower greenhouse gas emissions, better land-use, and energy and resource efficiency, based on research 1 we’ve done with the Green Building Council South Africa (GBSCA) and Arup. Divercity has a commitment to minimising greenhouse gas emissions and is already supporting climate change mitigation through a range of measures, such as rooftop solar arrays, energy and water efficient design in all of our buildings and EDGE rating of all new developments.

By 2030, the UN’s goal is to ensure equitable and quality to pre-primary, primary and secondary education and lifelong learning

Our impact

Through our Ithemba Upliftment Foundation, we are contributing to early childhood development, enabling hundreds of young children to receive quality education at Daycare Centres in our precnits. This is in addition to the widened access to formal education facilities that are part of our developments, and our efforts in supporting lifelong learning through supporting adult education.

By 2030, the UN’s goal is to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, renewable and modern energy sources

Our impact

As the cost of renewable energy generation capacity becomes more accessible and affordable, we are integrating these technologies more broadly across our residential portfolio. Divercity is focussed on eco-responsible housing as a viable means to contribute to sustainable and environmentally friendly urban development – through rigorous adherence to green building standards, including the use of energy efficient LED lights, rooftop solar arrays, energy efficient hot water generation and energy efficient building design.

By 2030, the UN’s goal is to encourage and promote effective public, private and civil society partnerships to attain the global goals

Our impact

Our partnerships empower us to champion progressive policy that supports sustainable development. One impactful example of such a partnership is our work with Green Building Council South Africa (GBSCA) and Arup, the global multi-disciplinary firm, on a research project on the enormous environmental and economic costs of the current dynamic of urban sprawl in Johannesburg. Through this project, we developed actionable recommendations for policymakers, investors and other stakeholder groups.
You can read more about the research project, titled: Does location matter? here.