Abland opens fully let Central Blue shopping centre as Blue Downs estate scales up
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Abland and its investment partners have opened the 8,000m² Central Blue Shopping Centre in Blue Downs, fully let and anchored by Superspar, as the surrounding estate moves toward roughly 1,800 homes.
Developer Abland and its investment partners have opened Central Blue Shopping Centre in Blue Downs in the Western Cape, a fully let retail development serving a residential estate that will eventually accommodate about 1,800 homes.
The centre offers approximately 8,000m² of gross lettable area on a 1.8-hectare site at the corner of the M54 and Endurance Road. Superspar anchors the scheme, which combines national retailers with specialist shops and services plus a restaurant pavilion.
The tenant mix includes Clicks, Cashbuild, Capitec, PEP and OBC Better Butchery, alongside services such as a 24-hour laundry, a barber and a homeware store. Tops at Spar is confirmed and will begin trading later. KFC, Hungry Lion, Fish Co and Jowa's Coffee occupy the restaurant pavilion.
Abland director Grant Silverman said the centre was planned as the retail heart of Central Blue Estate. "Central Blue will ultimately accommodate approximately 1,800 homes across its residential villages. The centre was designed around the everyday shopping needs of those households, while also being easily accessible to the wider Blue Downs community," he said. The layout links the centre to the estate's parks and a planned private school.
Construction took 11 months and created about 200 jobs, including local labour, wet trades and the hire of plant and equipment. The centre includes solar photovoltaic panels, backup power and a backup water supply. Boogertman & Partners were the architects, CDP the main contractor and Broll is responsible for property management. The opening follows Abland's completion of Saxdowne Shopping Centre about five kilometres away on Stellenbosch Arterial.