The Johannesburg Development Agency has bought the 24 properties on the "priority block" it identified in Bertrams. It believes that developing and upgrading this block will be a catalyst for improvement in the rest of the suburb.

A modern block in Gordon Road, now empty

ONE block is all it is going to take - the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) hopes that buying and revamping one block in Bertrams will be the necessary catalyst for the development of the whole suburb.

So says Lael Bethlehem, the agency's chief executive, pointing out that this has been done in Braamfontein, Newtown and the fashion district. Once a section of a suburb is refurbished, owners of other properties usually take the cue and renovate their buildings too.

Bethlehem says that hundreds of squatters had made the Bus Factory and Turbine Hall in Newtown their homes - now these two buildings have been transformed into creative office space, and Newtown is undergoing major development.

"We want to catalyse development in Bertrams."

The two-storey Luxor block, in art deco style

The JDA has bought a city block in Bertrams, bordered by Liddle Street and Bertrams, Berea and Gordon roads. It is a mix of two-storey blocks of flats, some of them in the art deco style of the 1930s and '40s, single storey houses dating back to the 1920s, a modern face-brick structure and three vacant plots. This means that some eight properties have heritage value, and the JDA will be applying for demolition permits. Seven properties were expropriated.

Mature plane trees along Berea Road and mature oaks along Gordon Road are evidence of the suburb's age - it was laid out in 1889, a portion of the farm Doornfontein. However, the area has fallen into serious decay over the past 20 years, Bethlehem says.

It is an important suburb from a housing point of view because it is sufficiently close to the CBD to walk to work.

It is across the road from the Ellis Park sports complex, to be used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The JDA is overseeing the revamp of the precinct, as well as the immediate area. This includes the laying of the Bus Rapid Transit system along Saratoga Avenue; in some sections this is already complete, with islands planted with trees and shrubs.

A priority block
The JDA has labelled the area of development in Bertrams the "priority block". It undertook a survey of the suburb, and decided that this block was the most suitable for development.

Some of the buildings will be demolished, while others will be incorporated into the new development. Permission to demolish will be sought from the South African Heritage Resources Agency.

Bethlehem admits that there is "enormous heritage value" in Bertrams. "The main threat to heritage is a lack of development, but it must be the right kind of development."

The goal is to create decent rent and bonded accommodation in the area, she says. Development will be undertaken by the JDA and the Johannesburg Housing Company.

Rights of people
The main obstacle to development is the rights of the people living there. There are some 82 families living on the block, in very poor conditions. Bethlehem is sensitive to their rights, and ongoing meetings have been held with them. They will have to be moved to alternative accommodation and have been offered places in the BJ Alexander building in Smit Street, Hillbrow, about a kilometre away.

"We are mindful of the rights of these people," Bethlehem explains.

A 1920s house with charming veranda

The JDA will pay for the costs of moving, the deposit, which is double the rent of R540, and the costs of the lease agreement fee. "We are doing this in the most socially responsible and respectable way."

In Hillbrow they will be given a room and will share a communal bathroom and kitchen. The JDA is busy renovating the BJ Alexander building, formally a nurses' home, which belongs to the provincial government.

So far more than half the people from the priority block have agreed to voluntarily relocate. Consultations with the rest of the residents are continuing; eventually a court order will be obtained to remove those unwilling to move.

Several of the buildings in Bertrams have already been cleared and security has been put in place to ensure squatters don't move in again. Construction is due to start in about 18 months. Bethlehem has made it clear that the project will not necessarily be ready in time for the World Cup, explaining that it is a long-term initiative.

The JDA has spent some R26-million on buying the 24 properties on the block.

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