One of Bellville’s most iconic buildings is being sold.
The Sunbel building (previously the Sanbel building) on the corner of Old Paarl and Voortrekker Road in the CBD has towered over the area since it was completed in 1984.
Property broker for Broll, Matthew Counsell, says they initially held an auction on 16 February and are giving potential buyers until 4 March to get their affairs in order. Other interested buyers are also welcome to put in bids before that date.
Counsell, however, declined to comment on the current price.
It initially belonged to neighbouring Sanlam (thus being called Sanbel) but when it was sold a few years later, its named changed to Sunbel.
The buidling is 13 storeys high and has a land size of 1,309 ha. There are 520 parking spaces and retailers at the bottom floor, as well as 12 storeys of commercial space.
Clicks and Planet Fitness are currently the main retailers after Pick n Pay closed its doors last year after decades of trading.
Since its inception the building has seen some of the biggest changes Bellville and the country have ever gone through.
The building itself has been called a few things over the years, “the ugliest building in Bellville” and the “concertina” being two of them.
As the area has changed, so did the characters who frequent the nearby roads at night.
In 2017 (“Prostitute bedrywig in parkeerareas,” TygerBurger, 3/5/2017) the late Stephan Fourie, Boston neighbourhood watch chair, told TygerBurger the Sunbel parking lot was a headache for patrollers as prostitutes frequented the area.
For the same reason, others said they talk of the surrounding area as “panty valley”.
Counsell is positive about the change a future or buyer can make. In a promotional video he says: “The ideal is to understand the Bellville market and to understand how this building can align to that market, where you as an investor and developer can not only add value from a financial perspective but also unlock prosperity for people for generations to come.”
For more information call Counsell on 074 618 2222.
