Port St Johns - Waterfront Precinct Plan
Port St. Johns, a small town in the Eastern Cape, is a well-known tourist destination celebrated for its natural beauty and vibrant local culture. Its iconic beaches, First Beach and Second Beach, are central attractions. Second Beach, in particular, offers a more rural atmosphere, with its beach infrastructure centered around a lagoon. The town also serves as a hub for essential services, including supermarkets, wholesalers, a street market, and a public transport hub.
The annual Sardine Run, which takes place between June and August, is a major draw for tourists and recreational activities. This event, along with the area’s renowned angling opportunities, plays a significant role in driving the local economy. Tourism, anchored by the beaches, the Sardine Run, and fishing activities, contributes substantially to the town’s revenue.
Yes& Studio was engaged to contribute to the proposal for the Port St. Johns Waterfront Development. This initiative focuses on the Western bank of the Mzimvubu River, extending from First Beach to the slipway. Collaborating with Hedwig Crooijmans-Lemmer, the team developed urban design principles and strategies for key development nodes within the town. The project emphasized sustainable tourism development and the rehabilitation of Port St. Johns’ natural resources.
The primary goal was to reconnect the town to its water’s edge, creating a vibrant and inviting gateway that celebrates the unique convergence of the beach, waterfront, river, and sea. The proposal culminated in a matrix of interconnected, actionable projects. It outlined key components, provided implementation guidelines, and identified potential stakeholders and partnerships to ensure successful project implementation.
The spatial structure aims to celebrate the water’s edge by creating a publicly accessible waterfront, making use of underutilised spaces and developing special moments along the route. A small harbour/jetty is proposed to form part of the gateway for the town.
Activated River’s Edge:
The river walk runs along the banks from the gateway to First Beach, with a new pedestrian bridge spanning over the creek. The project suggests the creation of a park with an amphitheatre and an outdoor exhibition space at the mouth of the creek which can be linked to a museum. A new boat launch/docking facility is planned near the Berea Road/ Marine Drive node. Activated pause moments are located along the river walk celebrating the connection to the river with additional market stalls, benches and shading devices to provide a comfortable pedestrian environment.
Conceptual project pans were developed for each identified project, providing guidelines and detail for the development of these projects for implementation.
Project for Coega Development Corporation (CDC)
Location : Port St Johns
Project team :
Urban Design : Hedwig Crooijmans Lemmer and Yes& Studio
Planning Services : Urban Dynamics
Project Type : Development framework
