The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village is a seamless marriage of sound investment and contemporary design. The spacious high-ceiling-ed houses are in a Cape vernacular style, which complements the extensive water-wise plantings of indigenous flora.

Okkie Potgieter CEO and Developer,  is personally involved in almost every stage of the development, from design and concept, to checking on finished work.

His sense of style and uncompromising standards are evident in the quality of the finishes and the overall aesthetic. But looks aren’t everything. The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village is one development in a very big and very successful stable, which is indicative of very sound and sustainable financial practices.

Buyers can choose between two- or three-bed-roomed freehold homes and light, airy and spacious life-right units. Prices for the former start at R4 million and go up to about R10 million for a virtual mansion. The life-right apartments start from less than R2 million and life-right cottages from R2.4 million. Assisted living is available in all units. The entire estate is managed by the Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged (CPOA), who also own and administer the life-right units. With 62 years’ experience working in the retirement sector, they own 22 retirement developments and manage a further 16 villages.

On completion there will be 270 houses in The Somerset, with state-of-the-art security and access control, fibre to the home, a library, a gym, a heated pool, conference facilities, a beauty salon and a clubhouse with a restaurant and deli. There will be health care centre, with a nurses’ station, as well as a sophisticated electronic interactive medical emergency response system. There are a number of good private hospitals very close by. While residents must be over 50, the estate is, as the name suggests, as much a lifestyle development as a retirement development. The landscaped gardens create a natural ambiance attracting many bird species. The fabulous sea views can be seen from all parts of the estate, and a quick stroll across the road to a shopping precinct will cater for your everyday needs. While the design of the units and the layout of the estate contribute immensely to the comfort and aesthetic value of the properties, the setting is also a major factor. Somerset West is a lovely, quiet but vibrant town close to the Winelands, the beach and Cape Town. Access to the N2 and the airport is quick and easy, and the many businesses in the town cater for virtually every need.

Okkie Potgieter, CEO of Westacre Devco is the inspiration behind The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village. Having sold his successful development company, Okkie moved to Somerset West in 1987 to “retire”. But entrenched habits die hard, and he saw so much potential in and around the town that, before he knew it, he was buying development land. So he started Westacre Devco, and developed Somerset West’s first security village. Nearly 30 years and more than 25 developments later, he is almost ready to hand over the reins of this family business to the next generation. But not before his magnum opus –The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village – is well and truly on its feet.