Cape Town V&A cruise hub to move ahead with R20 billion redevelopment in 2025

Cape Town’s top tourism and cruise hub the V&A Waterfront will move ahead with the next phase of its R20 billion redevelopment next year.

The announcement was made as part of an application for rezoning submitted to the City of Cape Town and currently open for public comment until September 4th.

The phased development of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront is planned for the coming 15-20 years and included the 2023 upgrades to the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, which sits adjacent to the Waterfront.

“The V&A Waterfront has initiated the next phase of its growth and development with a compelling vision for its future,” said Donald Kau, spokesperson for V&A Waterfront, adding that the re-zoning will enable the development of Granger Bay, which sits directly adjacent the Waterfront in its own bay on the Atlantic.

Re-zoning is necessary as a basket of rights to develop Cape Town’s neglected docklands was allocated through a zoning agreement for the development of 603 859m2 of floor space 30 years ago. 

This increased in 2015 with approval to redevelop the Silo district (a mixed-use area including the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, hotels and retail and office space).

The Waterfront’s remaining development rights are mostly within approved plans with limited opportunities for future development, explained Kau. Therefore, the V&A Waterfront has applied to rezone from a development zone to mixed use.

“This is considered the most appropriate zoning for the Waterfront and its broad mix of land uses,” he said.

To connect the V&A Waterfront to the Atlantic coastline through Granger Bay, 66% of additional floor space proposed in the Waterfront’s application (about 290 000m2) will be allocated to the Granger Bay development.

Granger Bay will be developed as a high-quality public environment forming an integral part of the public pedestrian route between the city, Green Point and Sea Point, according to the Waterfront’s rezoning application.

Mixed-use and residential will be the predominant use with an expansive, landscaped public pedestrian promenade and associated recreational spaces creating a new coastal amenity for Cape Town.

The remainder will be allocated to other areas of the Waterfront, including the Canal District. 

The V&A Waterfront is one of the world’s leading waterfront developments and one of the big six tourist attractions in Cape Town, visited by 26 million people annually. It includes 13 hotels, 450 retail outlets, 80 restaurants, seven museums, an aquarium, historical attractions, 15 conference venues and a mix of tourism and leisure options.

These include boat rides, water sports, and helicopter, walking and boat tours. The Waterfront is an especially popular start and end point for ferry rides out to Robben Island, the infamous prison off Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held for much of the 20^th century.