Background
Basil Read Developments is a division of Basil Read (Pty) Ltd, which was established in 1952 as a Civil Engineering Company. Basil Read was one of the first companies to endorse the Government’s “Breaking New Ground” strategy of developing sustainable integrated “New Towns”, such as its flagship development Cosmo City.
A corner stone of this strategy is the eradication of informal settlements and the provision of proper housing for all South Africans.
Basil Read has over 50 years experience installing Civil infrastructure in townships.
Due to the mutual respect between Basil Read, Government and Local Authorities, Basil Read was called in by National Government, when a tornado struck Cape Town in the late 90’s, to carry out emergency work in various townships and to recreate sustainable living environments.
Since then, Basil Read made the conscious decision to dedicate its Developments Division to upgrading and developing new mixed use, sustainable towns in various parts of South Africa.
Basil Read Developments is currently busy with 5 large scale, integrated projects involving over 60 000 houses and 250 000 inhabitants in Gauteng, Free State and Western Cape.
Basil Read Green Energy Projects
Basil Read Developments established Basil Read Green Energy Projects to support its housing initiatives:
- Nurseries are developed on projects to propagate 500 000 trees and shrubs for planting on new developments and creating vegetable gardens,
- Solar water heater programme: objective is to install a solar water heater on every BNG and Finance Linked house.
- House designs : to maximise energy efficiencies,
- Energy Efficient lights: to be provided throughout the developments
Finance and Services
It is evident that there are major constraints for local and provincial authorities to provide the services and financial contribution they are responsible for. Basil Read are working closely with Government and various financial institutions to unlock those obstacles hampering delivery.
Basil Read Developments recognises that there is not a blue print for developing an Integrated New Town, as each development is unique. However, many common factors have been identified and important lessons learnt which are being incorporated in its new developments.
Importantly, the development of an integrated Human Settlement is not a commercial venture and must be seen as an investment in the future of South Africa.