China’s economic growth in the past decade has given rise to a substantial number of high-net-worth individuals, who are seeking exclusive lifestyles that offer a new dimension of luxury.
A report published by Sotheby’s International Realty reveals that the rich in China are growing at a steady rate. They have an increasing appetite for high-end, premium quality properties, with waterfront living as their top choice. Around the world, waterfront living has become the relentless pursuit of the affluent as a symbol of status and prestige.
In light of this growing trend, some of the world’s leading developers have been venturing into China to launch their waterfront and marina projects along the Chinese shorelines. One such example is Keppel Land Ltd, the property arm of the Keppel Group, one of Singapore’s largest multi-national titans with interests in property, infrastructure and marine businesses. Keppel Land China, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Land, pursues a two-pronged strategy of developing property for sale and managing property funds.
One of Asia’s premier property developers, Keppel Land is recognised for its sterling portfolio of quality award-winning residential developments and investment-grade commercial properties, as well as high standards of corporate governance and transparency.
Keppel Land China is focused on developing township, residential, waterfront, commercial and mixed-use developments in China. Over the years, the company has expanded its footprint in the nation to ten cities.
Marina lifestyle
Leveraging the success of Keppel Bay, an iconic waterfront precinct in Singapore, Keppel Land has embarked on an integrated marina lifestyle residential development, Keppel Cove, in the affluent Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in Guangdong Province.
Situated on MoDao Island in Shenwan Town, Zhongshan City, Keppel Cove is 52 nautical miles from Hong Kong and only 17 nautical miles from Macau. Its location makes it suitable as a lifestyle hub between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, especially with the development of the leisure industry in the PRD region and the growing number of Chinese taking up yachting and sailing in Zhuhai and Zhongshan.
Once completed, Keppel Cove will comprise 250 waterfront villas, each with a private berth, and an additional 158 berths for the yachting community.
Bolstered by a number of favourable policies such as the ‘direct sailing’ agreement between Guangdong and Macau, Keppel Cove has – from its very beginning – received positive attention. It has been listed as a strategic infrastructure project in Guangdong Province’s ‘Twelfth Five-year Plan’, as well as a strategic program in the province’s marine economy development’s ‘Twelfth Five-year Plan’.
Keppel Cove is the pilot project for direct sailing between Macau and Zhongshan, as well as China’s first and only direct sailing project.
Strategically located in China’s affluent PRD region, property-owners in Keppel Cove are able to reach surrounding cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong within one and a half hours.
“The city offers some of the greatest opportunities in China,” said Simon Goh, Project Head of Keppel Cove. “Zhongshan has strong public infrastructure and an expanding middle and upper-class with great purchasing power. Hong Kong and Macau are two of the world’s richest cities and the area offers highly qualified management, technical specialists and a skilled labour force.”
Keppel Cove features an intricate system of bridges, roadways and canals lined with luxurious modern homes. Accessibility to Shenwan will also be boosted with the completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, Guangzhou- Zhuhai freight railroads, Guangzhou-Zhuhai inter-city railway, as well as the Beijing-Zhuhai expressway and coastal expressway. A new Shenzhen Zhongshan Bridge scheduled for completion in 2020 will reduce travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan from two hours to 30 minutes.
Facilities and services
The marina at Keppel Cove offers a wealth of facilities and services, including yacht berths, boutique hotels, boat rentals, aquatic sports, a sailing academy, yacht races, conference facilities and leisure entertainment. Due to its prime geographical location, top notch facilities and premium marina services, it is also a great place for a sailing holiday.
Through Guangdong’s first CIQP building located within the development, members of the marina at Keppel Cove will be able to sail from Zhongshan to Macau directly via its ‘all-in-one’ services.
Keppel Cove is likely to appeal to home-buyers seeking a waterfront lifestyle and an exclusive marina membership program. Its target market is high net worth individuals primarily from the Pearl River District, including Hong Kong and Macau, who appreciate quality living and are particular about privacy.
“These individuals will likely make up nearly 80% of the development’s buyers,” confided Mr Goh. “The rest will likely come from other parts of China, as well as international, well-travelled buyers seeking exclusivity, status and an extraordinary lifestyle.”
Keppel selected the international award-winning marina builder, Bellingham Marine, for the design and construction of the marina.
Bellingham Marine has a history of more than 100 years and has executed a number of successful landmark projects; it has designed and built marinas of more than 20 million sq ft across the world.
“Bellingham Marine is well-positioned to participate in the evolution of the boating scene in China,” said Tom Spragg, on-site project manager for Bellingham Marine. “We pioneered concrete floating dock technology and are the leading marina builder in Australia, New Zealand and East Asia. Our Australia and New Zealand experience, including hundreds of landmark marinas in virtually all the major harbours, provides a strong base from which to extend our manufacturing and construction technologies to China.
“Keppel has a strong working relationship with Bellingham Marine for the company’s approach to marina development, as well as their Unifloat concrete dock system,” added Mr Goh. “Bellingham Marine was responsible for our award-winning marina at Keppel Bay and it was important to have the same level of quality at Keppel Cove.”
First phase
Phase One of the Keppel Cove development comprises approximately 42 villas, 80 berths within the marina and a clubhouse. General infrastructure, including levees, locks, bridges, roads, utilities and some of the development’s park areas, will also be completed during the first phase.
According to Keppel’s Simon Goh, the first phase construction of the marina is already completed with 45 berths attached to the villas. “They have 12, 15, 18 and 24 metre berths attached to the houses,” remarked Spragg. “Each berth is equipped with power and water and a private gangway leading from the homeowner’s property down to the dock.”
Custom-made flotsam collection vessels will be strategically placed and used on the inland waterways to keep debris from building up in the canals. A tidal exchange sluice system has also been installed to promote the flow and flushing of water throughout the canal system and to ensure that there are no areas where the water may become stagnant.
As for the public marina at Keppel Cove, three of the marina’s five docks have been built, along with a queuing pontoon for vessels accessing the CIQP building and a fuel pontoon. The majority of the marina’s 80 berths are intended for vessels from 15-18 metres in length with 12 berths dedicated to yachts over 24 metres.
Designed and manufactured by Bellingham Marine, both the private berths and the marina’s pontoon system represent the latest engineering technology in concrete floating docks and are the first of their kind in the country.
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