Plans to construct a R1,5bn telecommunications "city" in Kuils River in Cape Town's northern suburbs is on the cards for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/Contact Centre industry.
It is believed to be the first purpose-built precinct of this kind in the country.
Stellendale Park will compare favourably with contact centres and BPO set-ups in North America, Europe and Asia, according to the project director Peter Grobbelaar.
Although the development is still at the planning stage, it has already won the support of the Western Cape government, the Cape Town municipality, and business-led initiatives such as Accelerate Cape Town, as well as the backing of Business Process enabling South Africa (formerly named Calling the Cape), a non-profit agency dedicated to the development of the contact centre and BPO industry in Cape Town, he says.
Described as a "platinum-grade" telecommunications hub, Stellendale Park will provide all the essential features required by the BPO industry, enabling property purchasers or tenants simply to plug in their equipment when they move in and begin operating straight away, Grobbelaar says.
These features will include an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and high-speed fibre optic links, with built-in redundancy, to a number of telephone exchanges. He explains that if the area in which a contact centre operates is subject to power failures, a back-up power supply must be provided to carry telephone calls across a power break without so much as a split second of power lost. This will minimise "dropped" calls, which is costly for the businesses being represented.
"In addition to providing constant power through a UPS, we will also have a back-up generating plant to deal with more lengthy outages."
To provide seamless connectivity, all calls at Stellendale Park will simultaneously be channeled through two exchanges: Telkom, Neotel or other carrier networks. "It is very unlikely that two exchanges will go down at the same time," he says.
"That's what is meant by the term 'built-in redundancy'."
With 68,000sqm of bulk approved for development, which translates into some 58,000sqm of gross lettable space, Stellendale Park will comprise eight buildings to be constructed above a double parking basement. All the buildings will be about seven floors above ground level, except for a towering building of 25 to 30 floors high, which will serve as an icon and provide a rooftop platform for satellite and other electronic receiving equipment, he says.
The developers aim to achieve a five-star rating for Stellendale Park from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). "This is a comprehensive and technical exercise, with requirements ranging from air-conditioning and lighting quality to grey and rainwater harvesting," says Grobbelaar.
"The buildings will be officially rated by the Green Building Council only once they are completed, so although we are aiming for a five-star rating, we are giving buyers and tenants a guaranteed four stars for now."
Many on-site facilities will be provided to ensure a pleasant working environment. These will include public open spaces with coffee shops, restaurants and other retail facilities; a crèche and health clinic, including the services of a doctor and dentist; a fuel station with convenience store component; a health and fitness club and spa; walking and cycling paths; ample parking, and a dedicated on-site taxi service to train and bus stations and nearby residential areas; recruitment, training and other employee services; and security services.
Grobbelaar adds that as the BPO industry requires different levels of skills, from consultants to technical and back office staff, the provision of on-site training facilities will be a key component.
A geo-spatial analysis was carried out to assess the suitability of the site in respect of the most important requirements for the BPO industry. "It exceeded all expectations," he says.
"Stellendale Park is located only a few kilometres from Cape Town Airport and along a provincial highway that is generally free from major traffic congestion. It is also close to the N1 and N2 freeways and the R300 link, as well as to the fibre optics networks of Neotel and Telkom. The recent construction of Zevenwacht Mall, and the establishment of the industrial areas of Saxonberg and Blackheath close to the site, demonstrate that others have also seen value in the area."
The site is situated in a crossover area between the emerging and first economies, with the benefit of having a large pool of potential employees to draw on from the historically disadvantaged areas of Kuils River, Blue Downs, Delft and Khayelitsha – all within a five to 10km radius – as well as from the more affluent towns of Stellenbosch and Somerset West, and nearby educational institutions such as University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, he says.
"Stellendale Village, a security village of some 1,500 houses, of which 300 are already built, is also right next door."
The contact centre will operate around the clock, 365 days a year, and he estimates that when the development is complete, there should between 9,000 and 12,000 employees coming through the precinct on a 24-hour basis.
Visual International is optimistic that construction of Stellendale Park will begin in January 2010, with a 15-month building programme anticipated for the first building. The seven-floor building will comprise a total of 7,500sqm of gross lettable space, providing 900 seats for the industry.
The building could accommodate one large operator, two operators each occupying about 3,750sqm, or smaller companies on each floor, each occupying a wing of about 600sqm. The estimated rental price band is R170 to R180/sqm and the selling price will be in the region of R25k/sqm, Grobbelaar says.
He estimates that with a sequential roll-out, the development should be completed within five or six years. – Impti du Toit
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