IT started as a promising luxury housing project along the Atlantic Ocean but suddenly came to a halt, leaving many with questions on the future of the project.
THE developer of the proposed multi-million dollar 12-storey penthouse at Long Beach is not keen to disclose why work on the project has ground to a halt for the past year or so; or when it will resume.
Construction of the Ocean Key started around 2010/2011 and the structure was planned to comprise 24 luxury apartments with a view of the Namib desert to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Currently however, it just comprises the unfinished ground-level and first floors.
The crane and scaffolding that had been mounted at the site have been dismantled. Besides the containers and construction equipment and materials, the building site adjacent to the Long Beach recreation resort is deserted. The only worker to be seen at the site is a lonely security guard inside a small closed cubicle.
Indications are that work on the project has come to a standstill, and there are no signs of anything happening there again soon. People who live and work in the Long Beach area said there has not been any work on the project for the past year, but they do not know why. It is believed that plans to develop Long Beach resort were even put on hold until the Ocean Key project had been completed.
As such, the resort has received little maintenance.
Spokesman for the Walvis Bay municipality Kevin Adams said the developer, Gunther Heimstadt, informed the local authority he had halted the project because he was looking for another investor.
Adams, however, could not comment further and referred questions to Heimstadt.
When this newspaper spoke to Heimstadt in 2009 about the planned project, he gave an assurance that the Ocean Key was a serious project and that its plans had been approved by the municipality.
He said this after residents of Long Beach questioned the plans. He even warned the residents then, especially those at Lelandies seafront apartments, which is adjacent to his project, that he was going to build the 12-storey highrise next to the tide pool in front of Lelandies.
He even threatened that the new building would spoil their view of the sea, and their whole view to Swakopmund.
On Wednesday, Heimstadt was not interested in speaking to .
“Do not let it concern you; we will let you know once something happens. I know what you guys want; you just want to have something to write about in the newspapers,” Heimstadt said when approached for comment.
This newspaper wanted to know why the project had ground to a halt, and when it will restart and whether bankruptcy had played a role in having the project put on ice.
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