THE REVITALISATION OF old buildings and industrial complexes in the Eastern Cape is serving as model for projects elsewhere in the country. Disused railway workshops at Arcadia Park in East London, which has been turned into a retail and industrial centre. The complex – described as one of the most successful projects of its type in the country – attracts some 2000 vehicles a day, according to Colin Victor of Business Partners in East London. Another success story in East London is the Lock Street Gaol. Situated in Fleet Street in the Central Business District, the former women's prison has been turned into a shopping complex. Business Partners, which is responsible for both developments, says it is applying the lessons learnt in the Eastern Cape for similar projects around the country. The initiative is a co-operative venture between three of the group's divisions, Business Partners Properties, which handles the property development and management portfolio, Business Partners Brokers, which handles the property broking portfolio, and Business Partners Investments, which handles the private equity portfolio. These divisions are entering into innovative joint venture agreements with existing property owners to re-develop and re-vitalise real estate that is no longer being used for its original purpose. The developments are situated in most of the major metropolitan centres in the country and feature rich and varied tenant mixes, including both entrepreneurs and big businesses. “Our commitment to the rejuvenation of the South African economy through investment and entrepreneurial empowerment is strong and unshakeable," says Jo' Schwenke, Managing Director of the Business Partners group, "and this form of property development is the perfect vehicle for this. We have found it to be one of the most powerful tools for curbing the tide of decay in CBDs and urban industrial areas and of creating a vibrant, successful environment for entrepreneurs and big business alike. Business Partners is proud to have been at the forefront of developing this form of investment and rejuvenation methodology and looks forward to undertaking even more projects of this nature in 2003."