Artist’s impression of West Cape Villas in Mitchells Plain.

Construction has started on a new Gap housing estate within walking distance of the Westgate Mall in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, and is expected to be complete by the end of July 2011.

Showhouses should be completed by mid-August at West Cape Villas, a Cape Town Community Housing Company (Pty) Ltd (CTCHC) project, and the first new home owners may take occupation as soon as mid-September this year.

CTCHC is an accredited social housing institution and one of the three social housing partners of the City of Cape Town. Since its formation in 1999 the CTCHC has delivered close to 4 000 affordable homes, providing housing for over 10 000 people in Cape Town communities.

CTCHC chief executive, Fungai Mudimu, says the infrastructure at West Cape Villas’ is in place, the services are completed and top structure construction has started.

The 341 semi-detached double-storey units will be built on a site on the corner of Weltevreden and Morgenster roads in Mitchells Plein. Each 52 m2 unit will have two bedrooms, one tiled and fitted bathroom and a semi-fitted open-plan kitchen. All internal and external walls will be plastered and painted and the aluminium ground-floor windows will have burglar bars.

The new fully bondable homes are for sale and can be bought off plan. Marketing for this new development has already started.

“West Cape Villas homes are excellent value for first-time Gap home buyers. Since our building practices have been refined and upgraded in our previous developments, we’re confident that buyers will welcome these homes,” says Mudimu.

Gap housing is a term that describes the shortfall, or ‘gap’ in the market between residential units supplied by the state (which cost R100 000 and less) and houses delivered by the private sector (which cost not less than R250 000).

The gap housing market consists of people who typically earn between R3 500 and R10 000 a month, which is too little to enable them to participate in the private property market, yet too much to qualify for state assistance.

“Priced from R339 000 to R500 000 including VAT, the West Cape Villas homes will be financed through personal bonds with financial institutions. This development is designed for buyers with joint incomes of up to R15 000 a month.

“There are plans to landscape the area around the houses with indigenous planting. The development will significantly uplift the neighbouring areas, providing a knock-on effect of improved property values in the wider Mitchells Plain area,” says Mudimu.

Call Doreen Van Wyk at CTCHC on 021 371 0677.