Construction has begun on a new multi-billion rand Castle Gate mixed-use precinct in Pretoria.

Castle Gate, which is being built by commercial, retail and residential property developer Atterbury, will ultimately comprise 100,000sqm of office space, 40,000sqm of specialist medical facilities, and a hotel as well as 1,100 residential units, and a 23,000sqm convenience retail centre.

The precinct will also include eight hectares of protected green areas that will incorporate walking and running trails.

Upon completion, the project will cost R6 billion, with as many as 20,000 permanent jobs created as a result of its development.

The Castle Gate project was first announced in 2016, with Atterbury partnering with the Erasmus family to develop the site that makes up the final remaining portion of Waterkloof farm.

Approximately 15 minutes drive from Pretoria CBD, the site is between the R21 and the N1 and provides easy access to all key urban points around Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Castle Gate is a co-development by Atterbury Property Fund and the Carl Erasmus Trust.

Atterbury development manager Raoul de Villiers said Castle Gate is a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity “with an excellent location in a key growth node and a unique proposition that has the support of its City, and is being welcomed by its community.

“We are confident in the future of South Africa and proud to invest in the country that we love and the City of Tshwane where Atterbury was started. We are thrilled to be working with great partners.”

De Villiers said it is expected to take between five and 10 years, but the shopping and lifestyle centre would be ready in less than a year.