The concept of Crossways is that of a typical village of yesteryear in a modern idiom. At the centre of the village will be a town square which will also be the centre of activity for residents and visitors.

The R3,4 bn farm village lifestyle project planned next to the Van Staden’s River gorge has received the go-ahead from the Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism of the Eastern Cape, which has approved the plans without any preconditions.

It earlier received the blessing from the national department of agriculture.

A delighted Dr Chris Mulder, one of the main shareholders whose concept this is, said Crossways Farm Village, as the new development will be known, will be the first of its kind in South Africa to be built to this scale. His urban design and architectural firm CMAI is responsible for the design, planning and implementation of the project.

Mulder, who gained international prominence with his Thesen Islands development concept in Knysna, has just returned from the US where he found enthusiastic acceptance of his concept of farm living. He was invited to present a lecture on interdisciplinary cooperation at the Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, Urban Design and Land Development, where he obtained a doctorate in environmental planning and urban design in 1980. The College of Architecture, the largest academic institution of its kind in the US, presented him with its Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2002.

“In the US there is growing support for the concept of rural living in an agricultural environment. The slogan ‘agriculture is the new golf’ has been taken up enthusiastically by people in all walks of life concerned about the environment. There is in particular an increasing awareness of the importance for the future of safe access to food and water, and of the need to live with the land in a sustainable manner.”

Crossways Farm Village, which will form part of an existing dairy enterprise, will comprise some 780 residential units designed to accommodate almost the entire income and housing spectrum. Supporting these will be extensive sporting and other outdoor recreational facilities. The development will also include light “cottage” industries with related retail, commercial and office components.

Run by the future home owners’ association, it will have its own mini-municipality that will provide all essential services, from electricity and water to refuse removal and sanitation.

The size of the present dairy operation will be extended to almost 170 ha of the total property of some 560 ha, with new pastures being established and a state-of-the-art milking parlour built to accommodate the enlarged herd of about 500 Holstein stud cows. On-site education and training facilities will offer courses in farm and dairy management, the only facility of its kind in the Eastern Cape to do so.

The profits of the farming operation will be divided equally between the home owners’ association, the farm management and the farm workers. The one third due to the home owners’ association will be used to reduce members’ monthly levies.

Commenting on the slogan “agriculture is the new golf”, Mulder said in the United States a great many golf estates had run into financial difficulties due to the high maintenance cost of their facilities.

“Research has shown that 83% of people living on golf estates don’t play golf. They bought there because of the lifestyle. Crossways will offer a similar lifestyle with the added advantage that the farming operation will not be an expense, but a source of income for residents. Home owners can even buy cows in the herd looked after by farm management and at the end of the month receive a cheque for the milk their animals produced.”

Mulder said the accent in the planned development would be on rural living.

“The property adjoins the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve and large tracts of land will consist of rehabilitated indigenous vegetation crisscrossed by walking trails. Fresh fruit and vegetables produced on the farm will be available to residents as well as an extensive range of dairy products, to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Although the accent will be on rural living, the development will be underpinned by the latest wireless and fibre optic technology that will inform all communication as well as security and other services.”

With his concept of blending residential development with agricultural activity, Mulder is also combining the two great passions of his life. He initially studied agriculture at the University of Pretoria and, after obtaining his BSc degree, farmed very successfully in what is today Limpopo Province. When his farms were expropriated for one of the erstwhile homelands, he returned to his alma mater to continue his studies, but this time in landscape architecture which had become his passion. Last year the Institute for Landscape Architecture in Southern Africa (ILASA) elected him one of three icons of landscape architecture in South Africa, the first time in 70 years the institute had conferred this honour on any of its members.