Carnival City Expands Into A Lifestyle Estate
Carnival City Expands Into A Lifestyle Estate. Sun International’s Carnival City is partnering with LivRES to develop a dynamic, mixed-use lifestyle estate on vacant land at Carnival City in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.
Carnival City is a minority shareholder in the development that will offer safe and affordable living. The 50ha R2.5-billion Lifestyle Estate will comprise secure residential districts connected by commercial and lifestyle components. The current casino and hotel complex is situated on 30ha of land directly adjoining the new development.
“Sun International purchased the land well over 20 years ago because the location was perfect for a casino, even though the parcel of land was larger than needed. Over the years, we have weighed up several options for the unused part of the property, including selling it off,” explained Sun International CEO Anthony Leeming.
Leeming added that after the R1-billion Carnival City Casino and entertainment complex opened in November 2000, it instantly became the premier entertainment destination in the region, attracting greater development to the surrounding area. This includes a Road Lodge, built by the City Lodge Group, and the four-star Carnival City Hotel Sun International, completed in 2007.
“Very little of what you see around you [the area surrounding the complex] was here when we opened. Not even the nearby Mall existed back then, so Carnival City was a catalyst for development in this area,” added Annemie Turk, Carnival City’sCity’s General Manager. “Over time, there has been growing market demand for a fully integrated community lifestyle experience. This is backed up by our research which indicates that the area will benefit from a new mixed-use estate. This influenced our decision to partner with LivRES Property Developers.”
The Carnival East Village Property Company was expressly formed to work in partnership with LivRES to manage the development and the estate, while Carnival City Casino will focus on its core business, which is running the casino and hotel. LivRES specialises in creating stylish, sustainable developments with modern amenities in vibrant destinations. They aim to offer homeowners and investors the ultimate residential lifestyle at impressively affordable prices.
“Our plan is to offer the convenience of lifestyle resort living, right here in the East Rand, by creating a people-centric neighbourhood complete with a range of housing, retail, business and office space plus amenities for leisure activities,” said Tim White from LivRes. The modern exteriors of all the buildings will create a visually pleasing space backed up by contemporary interior design. Buildings will also be equipped with solar and generator backup to future-proof the development against interrupted energy supply. Emphasis will be placed on installing sustainable fixtures and fittings to save energy and water.
