Cato Ridge Inland Port Moving Forward
Category In the News
Cato Ridge Dry Port/ Intermodal Hub - Moving Forward ... and now Referred to as the Cato Ridge Inland Port
The recent awarding of a contract/15 year lease, by Transnet, to the Cato Ridge Inland Port, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cato Ridge Logistics Hub Consortium, to operate the intermodal siding in Cato Ridge as a public private partnership (PPP), is a significant milestone in the development of the Cato Ridge Inland Port.
The development of the Dry Port in Cato Ridge has been on the cards for over 25 Years but progress has been slow for various reasons. This PPP opens the doors and provides a possible way forward for the development of a fully-fledged Inland Port including Intermodal Terminal, Truck Stop, Logistics Park and possibly even a Tank Farm.
The Cato Ridge Logistics Hub Consortium has already been working on the planning stages of the project for over 6 years and Warwick Lord (CEO) is under no illusions that the road forward will be easy, but advises that they plan to tackle each phase of the development in line with the market demand and required investment.
This development is driving further interest in the area and some, including Maersk, have already commenced the construction of facilities in close proximity to the current Intermodal siding.
Other national and international companies are also purchasing properties in the area with further developments planned to commence towards the end of 2022 and early next year.
The foresight of a number of large corporates who have already established Distribution Centre's in the area, in recognition of the advantages to the logistics chain from being close to the Intermodal Hub, with easy access to the N3 and in close proximity to the rest of Durban, is now being rewarded.
Trucking companies have also established staging and refueling facilities in Hammarsdale and Cato Ridge for similar reasons, with other major players looking at opening truck stops in Camperdown/Umlaas Road.
Manufacturing companies have seen the advantages of being in Hammarsdale with reasonably priced properties, electricity supply direct from Eskom and a Municipal sewer system amongst the attractions.
Smaller companies and visionary entrepreneurs are seeing the benefits of the area and most of the smaller sites and rental units in the area have been sold or leased.
The attraction of the area will certainly be boosted with the establishment of the Inland Port and it will also assist with decongestion around the Durban port.
The area continues to offer the great value, level, zoned industrial land. With prices from as low as R350/m2 to the more exclusive options around R1650/m2, it is hard to beat. Rental options are also still available at prices that are more affordable than most other areas around Durban and options from vacant land to a state of the art distribution centre are available. At this stage, selling prices are still reasonable, but shrewd investors are out looking for quick returns. As usual, the early bird is seeming to catch the worm, with a few quick sales being concluded in the last few months.
Author: Robert McInerney
