Suburban
THE proposed Highland Park shopping centre to be located at the corner of Emmerson Mnangagwa and Arcturus Roads will anchor the envisaged Emmerson Mnangagwa Development Corridor (previously known as the Enterprise Development Corridor).
Suburban Reporter
A hospital and a hotel are also planned for the development corridor, which will change the view of the area as investors move to take advantage of the City of Harare’s decision to accord Emmerson Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road), a development corridor status.
Harare recently reviewed local development plans to unlock and spur development. It identified various corridors which include the Emmerson Mnangagwa Development Corridor to create clusters of retail, office, high rise residential apartments, hotels and lodges among other developments.
The other corridors are Avondale-Sam Nujoma Street, Harare Civil Aviation of Zimbabwe Aerotropolis Export Processing Zone, Venturesburg Export Processing Zone in Sunway along Mutare Road, the Samora Machel Avenue East-West and Mukuvisi.
“New shopping mall coming. Investors taking advantage of the council decision to accord Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangwagwa Road a development corridor. Properties on the highway can be converted into commercial, creating employment and adding ambience to the city. The development is on the corner of Arcturus and Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Roads.
“The landscape on the road will soon witness high rise buildings formerly a preserve of the CBD. Hotels are planned. Restaurants already decorate the landscape. A hospital will soon be opened along the corridor affording residents of the area ease access to a health facility,” the City of Harare announced on its official Twitter page last week.
Some leading retailers such as supermarket chain Pick n Pay have already announced they will be opening new outlets at the Highland Park Mall, according to roadside billboards.
In 2019 the City of Harare hired a consulting company Development Studio Africa to an assessment of the Enterprise Corridor which dealt with issues of development on Enterprise Road (which has since been renamed ED Mnangagwa Road) from its intersection with Samora Machel up to the Mutoko toll gate as the subject area.
Presenting the Emmerson Mnangagwa Corridor Local Subject Priority Plan, Development Studio Africa projects manager Mr Trymore Muderere noted that more than 360 properties on the corridor were either subdivided or being converted for commercial purposes without registration from the local authority.
Mr Muderere also said there was need for City of Harare to direct and plan the development of the Corridor and provide efficient road networks that complement the rezoning outlook.
He also spoke about the different developmental projects that needed to be done by the council to lessen the pressure that is reportedly mounting on the Corridor and Emmerson Mnangagwa Road as a whole among them chaos at Chisipite and Newlands shops, the need for traffic lights at busy intersections that meet with Emmerson Mnangagwa Road, the need to expand sewer networks and the dualisation of the road among several others.
Commenting on the presentation, former Ward 8 councillor Mr Keith Charumbira said he saw the plan as a tool to be used to descend on people who were not complying with city by-laws and make sure that they are brought to book.
“We are actually seeing the Enterprise Corridor Local Subject Priority Plan as a tool for development in Highlands, so the change is coming. The smart city is coming and the world class city status is possible but it begins with us at the local level. The reason why as a Councillor I support this plan is because of its identification of these things so that if the plan speaks now we are now having issues to talk about. We are now aware that we have 360 properties that are operating without permits on the Enterprise Corridor which means the law enforcement agents should come up and ensure that we enforce the city’s by-laws. Currently we have got our enforcement guys in place so we are pushing that every Monday they must be in the field carrying out inspections to make sure that they close such kind of businesses,” he said then in 2019.
Mr Charumbira encouraged residents and other property owners to follow proper procedures before subdividing their properties or converting them for commercial purposes or risk facing the wrath of the law.
“If someone wants to do business at their premises they must approach the City of Harare and have the papers done. After going through the proper procedures and getting their permits, if they are permissible or get guided correctly where they are not permissible. Doing this in an incorrect way hinders development in our community.
“It gives us challenges and brings in conflict among the residents. I am happy that this research came up with numbers of properties that are unregulated and operating without permits. What is left for us is to enforce the by-laws. This information will not make us wait for the plan to be approved but act right away,” he said.
The construction of new shopping malls in a number of suburbs in the eastern part of Harare has drawn mixed reactions from residents of the areas with some saying it is a good development initiative while others are against the new business centres.
A number of shopping malls are currently under construction in Greendale along Montgomery Road, Chisipite and along Glenara Avenue.
Residents opposed to the new malls said the construction of these shops will result in increased water challenges which are already being faced by the city.
Others said the developments were good as they densify the central business district and allow people to have wide choices for shopping and conducting other transactions.
