Sandton's popular Village Walk shopping centre is due for a major overhaul which will include the demolition of parts of the precinct for re-development. The final plans are yet to be approved by the Metropolitan Properties' board before timelines for the project will become available.

The adjacent Balalaika Hotel will also be refurbished. Metropolitan Properties' managing director, Vuyani Hako, says part of the plans for the centre will be beefing up retail and the office component.

For now, existing leases are not being renewed and new tenants are not being taken on board. A former patron says the centre started suffering in the early 2000s with foot traffic declining steadily. He says the owners lacked vision and had failed to formulate a plan for the centre. The Blues Room was the main attraction to the complex but has closed its doors, albeit only for the time being.

An official involved in the planning of the re-development says the thinking behind it is not to compete with mega centres like Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square in the vicinity.

It is more a matter of coming up with a shopping experience that will blend with the existing mix.

He says care will also be taken to ensure the property conforms to council requirements, which were different when the original centre went up 20 years ago.

The village is only a couple of blocks away from the Gautrain station, which is likely to become a major hub when the line between Johannesburg and Pretoria is up and running at the beginning of July. The envisaged village will have to make provision for public transport and the parking area will be completely revamped.

Tenants are likely to be given notice only once the plan has been endorsed by the Metropolitan board. Attempts will also be made to secure alternative venues for them until the project has been completed.

Source: www.citizen.co.za