Work starts on Swakop waterfront

By: ADAM HARTMAN

DEVELOPMENT of Swakopmund’s ‘La Mer’ waterfront started on Tuesday after the site was officially handed over to Namibian Construction to start with the civil works.

The waterfront development has seen many financial and political challenges over the past decade, and has been handed down from one developer to another, until finally, Safari Investments Namibia managed to close its N$400 million deal with the Swakopmund municipality.
The civil works phase, according to Windhoek Consulting Engineers’ Dirk van der Merwe, will include three phases spanning 22 weeks - “if the weather conditions permit”.
Firstly, this includes the establishment of a platform on which the more than 16 000 square metre supermarket and retail centre plus a 100-bed hotel and 29 luxury residential units will be built.
Secondly, it includes the erection of a retaining wall of between two and four metres high to ensure that high tides do not flood the development; and finally the civil works phase will see the construction of the breakwater and ski-boat launch, which will be the foundation of the development’s proposed marina.
Van der Merwe said construction on the breakwater may be hampered by rough seas in August.
“We will then have to stop and carry on when the weather clears. In the meantime work on the platform and wall will continue,” he said.
No blasting will take place during this stage as all the necessary rock for the breakwater will be transported from a quarry outside Swakopmund.
Once the civil work is completed, building work will begin.
According to Wynand Marais of Safari Investments Namibia, the entire project should be completed by the end of 2013.
He said the main shops in the retail area will include Checkers and the Edcon Group, which is the umbrella body of Edgars, CNA and Jet.
Marais told The Namibian that some adaptations had to be made to the final design of La Mer to get the approval of the local aesthetics committee.
These changes are currently being addressed – particularly the southeastern wall of the facility that was described as “looking like a warehouse”.
An open day to view and discuss the latest design is expected to be held later this month.

Namibian Newspaper 12.04.2012