A retired French property developer is spearheading a project to revive the Great Brak River village.

A retired French property developer is spearheading a project to revive the Great Brak River village.

By Cathy Dippnall

A retired French property developer is spearheading a project to revive the Great Brak River village.

It includes the economic development of the village while restoring and preserving local assets.

Priority will be given to the development of a leisure area in Eden for sports, where the village will become the hub for eco-tourism, outdoor activities, and arts and culture.

French property developer Pierre Villain retired to Great Brak River, which is situated midway between George and Mossel Bay, 10 years ago.

He came across the pristine Tanneryskloof river valley in Great Brak – one of the last riverine estuaries on the Garden Route. His intention was to try and get the area protected environmentally, but in a way that would uplift the local community, which has a 75 per cent unemployment rate.

This led to Villain approaching the Mossel Bay municipality three years ago to discuss the viability of a community- orientated programme.

"I first had to convince the municipality that my project was of sound principles. Once they understood my intentions, they were quite excited.”

A proposal eventually received approval from the Mossel Bay executive council in May last year.

The project has grown to incorporate role-players from the local community, heritage society, Mossel Bay municipality and provincial government departments, as well as potential investors from France.

The chief town planner at Mossel Bay municipality, Eddie Kruger, said the environmental affairs department had still to give the go-ahead before the revival project could start.

The municipality wanted to encourage responsible usage of a limited portion of land where a tight urban edge applied, he said.

With an unusually high rainfall by national standards, Great Brak does not have adequate drainage, which makes it prone to flooding.

"Developers also need to acknowledge the complexity of this high-rainfall area. Cognisance needs to be taken of specific eco-sensitive areas which are more suited to recreational facilities than to residential developments,” said Kruger.

Engineering consultant and heritage society board member Rene de Kock said the heritage body wished to maintain the original state of the quaint homes in the centre of Great Brak – some of which date back to 1860 – with all new homes being built conforming to the village‘s original character.

"New zoning regulations for the area require conformity and set out clearly-defined parameters for the future. It is of utmost importance that all structures and plans are in place to encourage tourism and to bring about re-employment in an orderly fashion.”

Great Brak is a popular holiday destination, with many properties in the estuary being purchased as holiday homes.

"Even in the centre of Great Brak, quaint sun-baked brick homes of 60m˛ are selling for R750 000,” said local property agent Gerhard Willemse.

The popularity of Great Brak, say Villain and Willemse, is due to its exceptional community spirit.

The first step to realising the dream of revival is the establishment later this year of a food and craft workshop in the village centre.

Unemployed locals will be trained in food and craft industries and then go into a business partnership with their mentors from established businesses in the region.

An agreement has also been reached with the Organic Freedom organisation for emerging farmers to produce certified organic vegetables.

Eco-tourism activities such as hiking, horse-riding and canoeing are being planned, using a network of existing rivers, valleys, lagoons, trails and gravel roads, which will eventually offer the tourist a 15km network for adventure sports.

cdippnall@johnnicec.co.za


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