GREATER TYGERBERG PARTNERSHIP to improve the quality , safety and environment of communities across the Cape Town metropole . Bellville , which is seen as the secondary city to Cape Town , is one of those communities . The MVSA is linked to the City ’ s Bellville Future City masterplan , launched at the same time , which the City is working hard to develop as a blueprint for Bellville ’ s future regeneration
While the CBD itself has degraded over recent decades , the centre has shown itself to be a resilient commercial centre that supports a high street environment , with easily accessible ground-floor retail located around a public transport node serving local and neighbouring communities .
A Resilient Business Centre
During 2021 , the GTP conducted a study into the business and retail environment in the Bellville CBD and the Voortrekker Road Corridor . The Bellville CBD is broadly defined as a compact 1.2 kilometre area . Most notably , between 2017 and 2021 , the number of businesses operating in the CBD increased substantially , despite the Day Zero water crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic . This development is notable given that the growth in business occurred between 2020 and 2021 , when many businesses around South Africa were closing . Only 57 spaces were recorded as vacant , equating to a vacancy rate of around 6 %, from street level up to the 11th floor of the tallest building in the CBD .
The bulk , 12.3 %, of commercial activity is concentrated around the public transport interchange . This zone reported the greatest increases in economic activity , from 40 businesses operating in 2017 to 118 businesses in 2021 .
According to the survey , the top three economic activities in 2021 were wholesale and retail trade , accommodation , and food services . These businesses are typically located around Central Bellville close to the public transport hub . Most of these businesses are situated in street-facing premises .
This is ideal for attracting foot traffic passing through the transport hub throughout the day , reflecting a typical high street environment . In a GTP pedestrian survey conducted in 2021 , the total post-COVID weekday pedestrian count was around 50 000 per day , and 40 000 on Saturdays . Pre-COVID numbers were naturally higher , at around 78 000 and around 87 000 on weekdays and Saturdays
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine SEP 2021 9