The City of Cape Town has recently upgraded a portion of Longmarket Street, between Harrington and Buitenkant Streets. The upgrades include beautiful paving and lighting which blend into the beauty of the recently renovated Granary building.

‘The City regards the upgrade of this area outside the Granary as an example of what can be done in beautifying open spaces in the East City Precinct of the Cape Town central business district. We believe that this project will be a catalyst to the general improvement and upgrading of Harrington Street and the area as a whole,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.

The style of the design reflects that of the courtyards in the Granary building with a similar aesthetic. The paving and lighting in particular link the two spaces to ensure that this portion of the street is a continuation of the Granary. The street’s large concrete pavers and the small pavers at the Granary interlock like ‘fingers’ creating a specific pattern which lines up with the new lighting in intervals.

The lighting used for the upgrade was a modified version of those lights used in the Granary courtyards. There are some which are actual lights and some which are ‘dummy’ poles at various angles. Together, these unusually spaced and angled light poles create an artwork as one walks down Longmarket Street, which now is a far more pleasant and inviting street for residents and visitors to enjoy, be it during the day or at night.

The City ensured that the existing Celtis Africana trees which run the length of this portion of Longmarket Street were retained and that one additional tree was planted on the Harrington Street side to replace an unhealthy tree removed from the Buitenkant Street side.

Work began in May 2019 and was completed by 1 November 2019.

Source: City Of Cape Town