Leo Mews - affordable, greener living

Until recently it has been nearly impossible for a South African household earning below R10 000 to buy a home of their own, let alone a home that is friendlier for the environment and the owners' pockets. The City of Cape Town, in partnership with Standard Bank and Bitol Developments, recently won a South African Housing Foundation Merit Award for its new "gap" housing project called Leo Mews situated in Leonsdale, Elsies River.

The medium-density apartment complex was officially launched in September last year and comprises two bedroom units with fitted carpets and tiles, secure parking, a CCTV monitoring system and access control. The apartments have solar hot water geysers and a reclaimable water system is used for toilet flushing and lawn irrigation. The units also have waste separation bins divided into compartments for glass, paper, aluminium, plastic and non-recyclable goods.

The development is constructed in alignment with the Five-star Green Building rating system.

There are 125 units in the development and intial sales prices ranged from between R237 000 and R254 000. Potential buyers needed to earn R7 200 or more per month to qualify for a bank loan and acquire finance directly from Standard Bank. The City prioritised people who met the income criteria on its integrated housing database.

According to Kevin Duncan, Managing Director of Standard Bank's Integrated Residential Developments division (IRDev), housing has been supplied that, apart from its price, would not be out of place in up-market residential areas.

"We are proud of the Leo Mews development, which is innovative, eco-friendly and provides accommodation to a segment of the population that has traditionally been excluded from quality accommodation because of affordability issues. This is an excellent example of what can be achieved when a municipality, financial institution and developer have a strong partnership", said Duncan.

The developer also spent time helping residents in a older, neighbouring area making cosmetic changes that improved the entire area, thereby reducing the contrast between the old and the new in Elsies River. This resulted in a "strong sense of community" between new residents in Leo Mews and established residents in the area.

In 2006 the City signed a co-operation agreement between itself and three major banks to provide affordable housing for this "gap" income group. A group that does not qualify for government subsidised housing, but cannot afford housing on the open market. The rationale being that the City allocates appropriate land and the banks provide the finance and development expertise.

Executive Mayor, Dan Plato, said at the official opening of the apartments that the City needs to maximise the use of limited and especially well-located land for those in need. "Well planned, higher density residential buildings are the most viable option to effectively and efficiently solve the housing challenge in Cape Town," he said.

"With the world moving towards 'green' development and in order to alleviate pressure on the already over-extended electricity supply, Leo Mews’ units are energy efficient. The design and construction of the complex minimises its environmental footprint by including water and energy conservation systems," said the Mayor.

There are a number of similar housing projects in the pipeline, such as the Wetton development, close  to the Ottery Mall. This development, when complete, will have a total of 616 units. Of these, 360 will be Gap Housing units. The remaining units will be sold on the open market. Other projects under development include the Rugby project, just off Koeberg road where 180 bachelor units will be constructed in much the same way and a development planned for Mitchells Plain, which will provide gap housing for around 3 000 families.