Westville Suburb and Office Nodes – Westville is a residential suburb and has office nodes in KwaZulu-Natal and is located just west and inland of Durban. The climate is subtropical, with mild dry winters and hot humid summers, with frequent later afternoon downpours.
There are many large gated residential areas within Westville, each guarded by their own private security company, providing a feeling of “community safety”. A positive about Westville is its proximity to Durban whilst still retaining its residential charm with scenic views over the city. Westville caters for hikes and walks in the Palmiet Nature Reserve.
Westville is strategically located and has easy access to the M13, M19, N2 and N3 Freeways, Westwood Mall, Westville Mall, Westville Junction Shopping Centre, The Pavilion Shopping Centre and Durban’s central suburbs. Westville is central to a few townships, namely Cato Manor, Clermont and Chesterville. Westville Prison, located on the edge of Westville, is one of the largest prisons in the country and the only prison located in the Durban area.
There are many schools situated in the area and include the following: Star College Durban, Westville Boys’ High School, Westville Girls’ High School, Atholl Heights Primary School, Berea West Junior Primary School, Berea West Senior Primary School, Pitlochry Primary School, Westville Senior Primary and the Deutsche Schule Durban. Higher education centres include a 2km² campus of University of KwaZulu-Natal and Varsity College (Westville campus). Specialist schools such as The International Hotel School, based at the Westville Hotel, and The Fusion Cooking School are also located in Westville.
Residential properties here are set on large hilly stands with market prices still at affordable values in comparison to other suburbs in the area.
The main and established office nodes which form part of the greater Westville area, consist of Derby Downs and Westway Office Parks.
The Derby Downs area would be considered Westville’s second most sought after, designated office node, with Westway Office Park, located on the N3 freeway, and directly opposite the Pavilion Shopping Centre forming the benchmark in terms of office rentals and selling rates. It must also be noted that Derby Downs does tend to experience some traffic congestion during peak times due to the limited access and egress into the estate.
In the area, there has been a decrease in demand for office accommodation, both in terms of sales and letting. The Covid 19 pandemic and concomitant lockdowns has had a significant negative impact on the already stagnating office property market in Westville.
Post Covid, it appears as though the office market in general (especially larger office buildings), is one of the property sectors that has been most negatively affected by the factors surrounding the pandemic. Some of contributing reasons being that many companies adopted a “work from home” approach during the more restrictive lockdown periods. Due to health factors, but mainly due to affordability, this shift is still appearing to be maintained to a certain extent Post Covid, with many companies that occupy larger offices looking to reduce their overall footprint.
We have also considered the fact that there was already an oversupply and therefore lower demand for office accommodation in the Westville area both in terms of sales and rentals leading up to the Covid 19 pandemic.
That said, we have been informed by brokers, that they have noticed an increase in the level of interest for office space in the area, both in terms of rentals and purchases during recent months. Although office space in Umhlanga is of preference, the lower more affordable rentals available in Westville is attractive to potential tenants.
Having completed several valuations in the area makes Valuetec, Westville Property Valuation specialists. We provide professional and independent valuations of residential and commercial properties, so put your mind at ease and contact Valuetec, your preferred and experienced Property Valuers today. We are registered and expert Professional Property Valuers who know the area well and we have the necessary experience to assist you accurately, timeously and cost effectively. Whether a valuation is required to assist you in negotiations for the purchase or sale of a property in Westville, to ensure you pay or achieve a market related purchase or selling price, or whether you require a valuation for insurance purposes, we will be able to assist you and provide you with sound advice and a professionally prepared valuation report.
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