Mount Edgecombe
Mount Edgecombe or Mt Edgecombe is a gated community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, situated just north of Durban, which forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan area. It is famous for resorts and golf. It includes a retirement home. It was previously a sugar growing area. The population increased by 89% between 2001 and 2011 from 3,874 to 7,323. Its name is derived from the Earl of Mount Edgecombe in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Mount Edgecombe | |
|---|---|
 View of the Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate with Phoenix in the background | |
  Mount Edgecombe  Mount Edgecombe | |
| Coordinates: 29.721°S 31.050°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Municipality | eThekwini |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.34 km2 (3.22 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,323 |
| • Density | 880/km2 (2,300/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 10.5% |
| • Coloured | 1.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 36.5% |
| • White | 50.0% |
| • Other | 1.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • English | 84.1% |
| • Afrikaans | 4.8% |
| • Zulu | 4.4% |
| • Other | 6.7% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 4302 |
| PO box | 4300 |
Commerce
Mt Edgecombe has a sizable industrial sector with industries such as logistics (notably SPAR's distribution centre for perishables in KwaZulu-Natal) and hardware amongst others occupying Mt Edgecombe.
The small commercial belt on the southern section of Flanders Drive (south of the M41) includes small office spaces, the Flanders Boutique Mall and a Kwikspar. On the northern section of Flanders Drive (north of the M41), lies another commercial belt comprising a string of motor delearships, automotive-related services, a few other industries and mostly notably the headquarters of the South African Sugar Research Institute and the South African Sugar Association – this makes Mt Edgecombe a pivotal hub for the South African sugar industry.[2]
Just north of the M41 and the CBD lies the Cornubia Mall, one of the largest shopping centres in Greater Durban which opened on 27 September 2017 and forms of Tongaat Hulett Developments' planned Cornubia mixed-use development. The development which is located on former sugarcane lands also includes a new Makro store and the controversial United Phosphorus Limited plant.
Geography
Mt Edgecombe is situated on a gentle rolling terrain about 4 km inland from the Indian Ocean on the uMhlanga Coast/North Region of eThekwini.
Mt Edgecombe is situated approximately 14 km north-east of Durban and is bordered by uMhlanga to the east, Durban to the south-east, Phoenix to the east and sugarcane plantations to the north and south.[3]
Mt Edgecombe is broken up into the following areas:
- The Central Business District (CBD) which lies on the western boundary of Mt Edgecombe and east of the R102. Its main street is Siphosethu Drive and includes offices spaces, schools and warehouses.
- The industrial area which lies in west of the north-western part of Mt Edgecombe and is situated between the R102 to the west and the railway to the east, however a small portion does lie east of the R102 and to the west of the M41.
- The largest area of space which accounts for 59% of Mt Edgecombe's total land area is the Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate which is a residential golf estate centered around two championship golf courses of the Mt Edgecombe Country Club. The estate comprises Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate 1 and Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate 2 which is the largest component of the estate.
- Although administratively part of Blackburn, the commercial belt north of the M41 is regarded as part of Mt Edgecombe.
Infrastructure
Healthcare
Mt Edgecombe is served by the Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital, a private hospital owned by Life Healthcare Group and is located on the western boundary with Phoenix in its suburb of Rockford, west of the R102. [4]
Rail
The town is served by the Mount Edgecombe Railway Station, located on the eastern boundary of Mt Edgecombe's industrial area and lies on the North Coast Line (Durban- KwaDukuza Line). This line is operated by Metrorail KwaZulu-Natal which provides commuter rail services to Phoenix and Durban (south) and Verulam, oThongathi (Tongaat) and KwaDukuza (north).
Road
Mt Edgecombe is bordered by three arterial routes, the N2, M41 and R102 of which the N2 and M4 are freeways. To the east, bordering with uMhlanga, the N2 (Outer Ring Road) is a north–south national highway that connects Mt Edgecombe with Durban to the south-west and the King Shaka International Airport and KwaDukuza to the north-east. To the north, the M41 highway, with its terminal at the R102 is a east–west metropolitan freeway connecting Mt Edgecombe with uMhlanga to the east and Durban to the south-east (via the M4). The Mount Edgecombe Interchange (Exit 182) completed in October 2018, is one of the major landmarks in the area and provides access from the N2 to Mount Edgecombe through the M41.
To the west, bordering with Phoenix, the R102 (North Coast Road) is a north–south regional route that connects Mt Edgecombe with Durban to the south-east, Newlands and New Germany to the south-west (via M5) as well as with Verulam, King Shaka International Airport and oThongathi (Tongaat) to the north. The R102 can be used an alternative route to the North Coast for motorists and commuters avoiding paying toll at the oThongathi Toll Plaza on the N2 near oThongathi. Mt Edgecombe is also served by the M26 (Phoenix Highway), a east–west metropolitan route that connects Mt Edgecombe with the bordering township of Phoenix to the west.
See also
References
- "Main Place Mount Edgecombe". Census 2011.
- "Contact Us - SASRI - South African Sugarcane Research Institute". SASRI. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- "Distance Mount-Edgecombe, EThekwini, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF > Durban, EThekwini, Kwazulu-Natal, ZAF - Air line, driving route, midpoint". www.distance.to. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- "Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital | Durban | Life Healthcare". www.lifehealthcare.co.za. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
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