Construction boom in Bulawayo

The usually sleepy town of Bulawayo is experiencing an unprecedented building boom.

The City Council approved building plans valued at a whopping $52 billion in December alone. This was more than the value of plans approved in the first eight months of the year.

Most of the construction was in the low density suburbs with Ward 4 taking top honours. Ward 4 covers Selbourne Park, Matsheumhlope, Sunninghill, Riverside, Whitestone, Malindela, Ilanda and Woodlands, among others.

Building plans in the area approved totalled $13.1 billion.

Ward 3 which covers Mahatshula and Parklands, among others, came second with plans valued at $12 billion followed by Ward 5 which includes Hillside and Famona. It had plans valued at $11.6 billion approved.

The council approved plans valued at $145.8 billion for the whole of last year. It approved plans valued at $18.6 billion in 2004.

This year should see a further boom as the council has granted the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s Homelink Programme approval to build nearly 150 houses in the low density suburb of Parklands. The council has serviced a further 119 stands in the same suburb.

The government has also allocated more than 3 000 stands to individual developers in Cowdray Park, the hub of its Operation Hlalani Kuhle.

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