ESTATE REVIEWS
. . .
In the
BUSH
and OFF THE
GRID
A unique 1,500-hectare bush retreat in the
Waterberg, only an hour and a half from Pretoria
and two hours from Johannesburg, Boschhoek
Mountain Estate offers residents a sanctuary
away from the hustle and bustle of Gauteng
city life – and offers management some unusual
opportunities.
B
oschhoek Mountain Estate was developed as a
joint venture by Herbert Smith and the landowner,
cattle farmer Chris Klingenberg. When they first
started in 2007, there were gorgeous mountains
but miles of fences, herds of cattle and only a
couple of jeep tracks. The fences were removed,
the cattle relocated, and the roads repurposed for use by
estate residents and management.
THE DREAM
Passionate about the bush and with extensive experience
in the town planning and property development arena,
Herbert had long dreamed of developing an estate that was
not about ‘the golf courses and three-storey clubhouses
and the like. It’s really about the bush. Our typical owners
are professional guys who would like to go and sit on their
backsides on a rock and enjoy nature around them.’
What made Boschhoek’s sales easier is that there is no minimum building size,
and no specified house plans or builder. Tented lodges are also allowed. There is a
It wasn’t plain sailing. Obtaining all the required approvals, maximum building size of 500 square metres, and buildings have to blend in with
from EIAs to water usage and licences, was a long process the bush. A control architect oversees building plans. In addition, the building’s
that took more than four years. By 2011 they were ready to footprint needs to be approved by an ecologist.
start marketing. They were selling a dream, as there were
still cows behind barbed wire fences, and no infrastructure. The owners have 10 years from date of transfer to start building, and a year after
Fortunately, the unrivalled beauty of Boschhoek’s mountains, starting to complete the building process. All this makes for a great opportunity to
streams and bush sold itself. By 2013 they had sold more own a piece of paradise for both holiday home owners and permanent residents
than 50 of the 143 one- to two-hectare full title stands and – about 10% of current owners live on the estate permanently and the number
could proceed with the initial batch of transfers. is steadily growing. So far around 60 homes have been built on the 116 stands
(80%) that have to date been sold, with bush homes varying from a small bush
pad for two through to multimillion rand lodges beautifully blending with nature.
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INDUSTRY JOURNAL