The rumble of heavy machinery and the crash of falling bricks on November 27 heralded the long-awaited start of the transformation of Nelson Mandela Bay’s iconic Bayworld into a world-class tourism, leisure and edutainment destination.
The old tropical tank, and part of the predator tank of the former oceanarium, are set to be demolished as the first “humble step” towards a green, multi-use precinct, stretching over 55 hectares from the old rugby stadium to the sea and encompassing 13 catalytic projects worth over R6 billion, according to Mandela Bay Development Agency CEO, Anele Qaba.
The first of these projects will be a state-of-the-art aquarium and marine science centre, replacing the old oceanarium and dubbed “The Sanctuary”, for which the MBDA is currently seeking proposals and funding in partnership with Bayworld.“The overall aim is to create a ‘green’ development to conserve and promote the region’s unique biodiversity and cultural heritage, featuring green spaces, eco-friendly and adventure activities in a safe and diversified destination for locals and tourists,” added Qaba.
At the core will be the revamped Bayworld as a modern edu-tainment facility, including the museum along with a digital dome, hologram circus, interactive aquarium, sea-life sanctuary and recreational water park. The MBDA is managing the project in close collaboration with Bayworld, the NMB Municipality and the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture.
Bayworld is operated by the provincial government, while the land is owned by the municipality. MBDA board member, Pinky Kondlo, welcomed the start of demolition as “both an historic and futuristic milestone”.
“Our vision is premised on facilitating a world-class ocean city, and this brings us closer to that. This facility demonstrates the economic, social, and spatial elements that must come together to make it beneficial to the people of the metro,” Kondlo said. The initial demolition is targeting structures which have already been condemned and will create an entranceway from Beach Road for demolition and heavy equipment to access the oceanarium, dolphin pool, grandstand, and adjacent structures from January to approximately March next year.
“The museum will remain open, and the residents, approximately 65 penguins and nine seals, will be temporarily relocated before work begins in January, to a newly-constructed facility behind the museum complex, along with any sea turtles, seals and other sea-life undergoing rehabilitation,” said Bayworld aquarium expert, Dr Dylan Bailey.
Bailey leads the Bayworld specialist team working closely with the project team to ensure the health and safety of the animals throughout the project. He added that the “safe haven” for Bayworld’s animals during the demolition had been built to meet international standards and local regulations and best practice, and had been designed with greater capacity for rehabilitating sea animals than the oceanarium currently had.
Water quality will be maintained at the same standard as that of the current oceanarium, with a full saltwater filtration and sand separation plant on the temporary site, while oceanarium staff manage the facility. Following the demolition, the flattened area will be levelled to natural ground level and landscaped so that it can be used for outdoor visitor engagement, learning, and events such as building art pieces from recycled marine waste.
The animals will be returned to their pools for public viewing. Environmental authorisation for the scope of the demolition work has been granted by the provincial Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT), through a submission prepared by CEN Integrated Environmental Management.
A Heritage Impact Analysis was commissioned through SVA Architects, and permission obtained from the Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resources Authority (ECPHRA), and the NMBM has issued the demolition permit. While demolition and landscaping are underway, the MBDA will continue researching the design and operating model, and seeking funding, for the new aquarium.
