To create an eco-based Estate, where residents and visitors can enjoy the environment without disrupting it, is a new challenge! 

The Simbithi Eco-Estate is an Estate designed, constructed and maintained in a manner that marries all the essential requirements. The usual requirements of an upmarket Estate (security and  infrastructure) are well catered for and this basic requirement, together with a strong environment ethic, allows for a residential Estate that combines all the elements of an eco-estate. This led to a conversion of an ecological desert (previously cane lands) into an abundant coastal climax grassland community, interspersed with coastal forest environmental corridors, lakes and wetlands to attract as much biotic diversity that the carrying capacity of the site can support. Before development commenced, the site was farmed essentially mono-culture style (for decades) and will experience a significant net environment gain in terms of the following (for Phase 1):

• ±200Ha of cane has been removed.
• Hundreds of water consuming exotic gums have been removed.
• All alien vegetation on the site is being removed and future growth combated by way of an environmental management plan.
• Interference with existing indigenous vegetation is being kept to an absolute minimum and contractors and developers are stringently controlled with hefty fines for any environmental abuses.
• Environmental consultants strictly monitor all progress on site.
• ±65Ha of the old cane areas are being converted to coastal climax grassland communities which have a wide biotic diversity.
• The depleted soils are being augmented by the addition of thousands of tons of organic compost.
• A cocktail of indigenous grasses and grassland type plants are being sown to hasten ecological succession and enable the incorporation of suitable wildlife in a few years time.
• Hundreds of thousands of indigenous and endemic trees, shrubs and groundcover's are being planted to link existing vegetation clumps and create new areas of vegetation to stabilize newly created lakes and roads.
• The introduction of water, together with the re-appearance of related bird life will all contribute to the increased biotic diversity that the developers are facilitating through the creation of the estate.
• The building code reinforces the philosophy with the accent of non-intrusive, organic-type structures which blend into the landscape - a welcome relief!
• Roads, nature trails and golf cart paths have been designed to have as little impact on the site as possible.
• Maintenance of the Estate is planned to be as environmentally sensitive as possible with only limited use of non-organic components, and recycling of organic components are encouraged as much as possible.

Grasslands will not merely consist of grass but will have a myriad of indigenous herbaceous plants to produce colour and texture to the landscape. In the grassland areas there are small pockets of thickets specifically created as safe havens for the wildlife to be released as soon as the development dust settles. Very unique to this location, in Ballito, are the swamp forests growing along the water course. Coastal forest patches are present on the Estate and form a buffer to the swamp forest.

Along the water courses there are also natural, extensive wetlands where numerous colourful birds have made themselves at home. Water fowl and forest birds abound. Game birds and antelope will, when the grassland is able to support them, be released onto the Estate to roam about the newly created sanctuary.

Each and every house and cluster development forms part of the Estate. The design implemented in the private space of your stand, really becomes an extension of the natural habitat of the wildlife. The landscape designs for the developments inside Simbithi Eco-Estate need to be conscious of the nature of the natural vegetation surrounding their development and link the garden to the surrounding environment. The designs need to be creative but not conventional.

Landscape designs must be as natural as possible in their approach but still provide ornamental elements and creative design in close quarters to the development to complement the design of the house. Plants utilized in the designs are only to be those listed in the Landscape Contractors Protocol. This is an extensive list of indigenous plants best suited to this environment. Indigenous plants from other provinces and other geographical areas are not to be used in an attempt to create as natural an environment as possible.

Landscapers must be registered with the Simbithi Eco-Estate Home Owners Association (SEEHOA) before they are permitted to operate in Simbithi Eco-Estate. On registration, each landscaper will receive a copy of the Landscape Contractors Protocol, which they have to sign for. Once they are registered they may receive appointments from home owners and developers in Simbithi Eco-Estate.

On being appointed the landscaper obtains a house plan from the principal agent for the development. The landscaper designs the plan according to the brief issued to the landscaper by the principal agent and or the client and by following the conditions spelt out in the Landscape Contractors Protocol. Completed plans are submitted to the Plan Controls Officer of the SEEHOA. This plan together with the house plan will be submitted to the Simbithi Eco-Estate Design Review Committee for consideration, and approval is dependent on the stipulated pre-requisites being satisfied.