Estate Living September 2016 Digital Issue | Page 23

DOWNS

golf and lifestyle estate
that country feeling

peaceful country escape. Those who wanted
a safer, less crowded country lifestyle only
35 km from Durban had it good – at least
until the cosy town was rezoned for office
and commercial use.
But, luckily, Cotswold Downs Golf and Lifestyle
Estate in the affluent Upper Highway area
offers a little something of the old Hillcrest.
The estate is modelled on the Cotswolds area
in the United Kingdom, a rural landscape
harbouring stone-built houses with manicured
gardens, each community clustered round a
village green where the townspeople meet.
This architectural vision of a venerable English
settlement is evident in the grey slate roofs
and other stone used in the urban design and
planning of Cotswold Downs.

The estate had a slow start with the
economic downturn that occurred in
2010, but during the last two years
development has been at an all-time
high, with around a hundred houses
being constructed per year. “We are
making big strides towards setting the
estate up for a sustainable future,” says
Estate Manager Casper Nice.
The well-secured estate comprises eight
villages with 698 residential opportunities
in total – all designed with space and
privacy in mind. One option for investors
is a package deal that enables them to
see pre-designed and priced homes
going to market. Alternatively, plots can

21
ESTATE REVIEW

There’s fresh country air in abundance
on this 220-hectare estate, which has
enough unspoilt wilderness to make
you feel far away from the city. Nature
has been allowed to take its course, and
the low-density country life that the
estate’s residents so treasure is here to
stay. No matter where they are located
on the estate, homeowners enjoy views
over indigenous grasslands, lakes and
escarpment forest inhabited by duiker
and other wildlife. The Nqutu River
provides a natural wetland which is
home to at least 239 bird species.