12 July 2005
Information about property in Johannesburg is now available online.
The city’s economic development unit, working with the South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa), has set up two online databases – one covering 25 business nodes across the city and the other containing information about residential property in the inner city.
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The databases are to be continuously updated and extended over a three-year period at a cost of R4-million, says Li Pernegger, programme manager for economic area regeneration in the unit.
Pernegger says the business node database summarises information on 25 business nodes.
“The data will provide you with a snapshot of the business node at a specific point in time and the user can also compare nodes. In future you will be able to view development trends in the nodes.”
The two databases are available to members of the public free of charge.
The business nodes database provides information for the property sector, with an appraisal of 25 business nodes to assess their economic prospects. It also contains a brief overview of each node, including history, node description and catchment area.
In due course, says Pernegger, “we will consolidate the two into one Economic Activity Areas database that contains both erf-based and property sector-related information”.
The inner city database provides detailed information on buildings in parts of the inner city, giving an idea of property values across the region, from the most expensive skyscrapers to more humble dwellings.
Initially, offering information on certain parts of the central business district, Braamfontein and Newtown, it will gradually be extended to cover more parts of the city.
The two databases are hosted by the city’s corporate geographical information services (CGIS). In its January sitting, the council endorsed the proposal to set up a property database jointly with Sapoa, clearing the way for the joint venture, the first such partnership in the country, to be implemented.
Sapoa is the representative body of the commercial and industrial property sector in the country.
Source: City of Johannesburg
