Durban outlines 2010 plans
Chris Khumalo
7 July 2006Durban city officials have announced plans to build a giant beachfront fan zone for the 2010 World Cup. Based on the German model, the fan zones will provide big screens and other entertainment for the millions of fans expected.
In June the City unveiled the design of the new 70 000 seat stadium that will be built in time for the 2010 tournament.
Speaking in Durban on Thursday, city manager Mike Sutcliffe said the plans included transforming the entire beachfront from uShaka Marine World to Blue Lagoon into a World Cup fan zone, building underground parking for hundreds of cars at the beach end of West Street and a tram system to back up the long-awaited "People Mover" inner city public transport system.
The beachfront fan zone would have direct pedestrian access to the newly landscaped beach on the site of the old Seaworld and Lido.
'Invaluable'
"What we’ve learned from the German experience has been
invaluable. We’re already busy working these lessons into our own plans for 2010," Sutcliffe told diplomats from more than a dozen countries at a briefing hosted by the city’s investment promotion agency (Dipa) and the Chamber of Commerce at a beachfront hotel.
He said that one of the key priorities would be security.
"Germany has handled this superbly. High visibility policing, combined with a fan-friendly but firm attitude, has worked wonders," Dr Sutcliffe said.
Party zones
Julie-May Ellingson, who heads Durban's strategic projects unit and the city’s preparations for 2010, said she’d been particularly impressed by the areas set aside in German cities for fans to eat, drink and party in between watching the matches on giant screens.
With Durban set to host several matches, including semi-finals, the beachfront has been earmarked as the ideal fan-zone.
Ellingson said negotiations around the interim People Mover to link uShaka, the Suncoast Casino and the city centre were at an advanced stage and that it could be operating by August.
Each bus in the distinctive People Mover fleet would be fitted with closed circuit TV cameras, both inside and outside, as would the bus stops.
"This will provide an added level of security not only for passengers, but also for the areas in which the People Mover operates," said Ellingson.
Sports precinct
Also under serious consideration was another tram system linking key tourism nodes and the Kings Park sports precinct.
"We have had expressions of interest from American and French companies and we firmly believe we can have a tram in place by 2010," she said.
Sutcliffe, Ellingson and other officials will return to Germany next month to present the city’s preliminary 2010 plans to world football officials and to the travel industry.
Source: BuaNews
