THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPRESSING INTEREST IN OUR HOUSING SCHEME
The Meanwood Housing Project is an environmentally friendly new residential area on several thousands of acres of land that will comprise houses, shopping complex, a safari hotel, schools, parks, health centre, churches, police post and other social facilities. Additional facilities may be included as the project progresses. The project is promoted by Meanwood Property Development Corporation Limited, a private company incorporated in Zambia and 100% owned by local Zambian investors. The residential area will be called ‘Meanwood’. The Meanwood Housing Project is a strictly regulated residential development aimed at providing an attractive self-contained residential area – ‘The City within a City’.

Where is it located?
The new residential area is between Ibex Hill and New Avondale. It is located about 2 km from the Lusaka International Airport turn-off along Great East Road and about 1.2 km from the United Quarries turn-off. It may be accessed from Avondale at the end of Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Road or through Ibex Hill using Twin Palm Road. (See Location Map)

What Type of Houses will the new residential area have?
The area will have medium, high cost and executive houses. MPDC’s plan is to develop houses that are within the price range of an average Zambian and yet have the quality and strength that reflect real market value. Houses that are large enough for an average family needs with interior configuration suited to their circumstances and lifestyle. Houses with a lay-out that makes the most of available space; and designs that are flexible enough to be altered, enhanced or expanded to meet changing family needs yet remain aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Houses that are set out on grounds sufficiently spacious to allow for a pleasant view and outdoor living with gardens, pools, potios and terraces. Minimum house size for medium cost is two bedrooms. High cost and executive houses will have a minimum size of three bedrooms.

How do I qualify to get a plot at Meanwood?
A prospective buyer is expected to meet specific minimum standards.
(See application form for eligibility. A buyer will only be eligible after MPDC Ltd have approved the application and issued with a letter of offer).

How do I pay for a plot or house at Meanwood?
You can pay either in full at once or in instalments. Generally, you could pay in monthly instalments up to a maximum period of 6 months (4 months for 5-acre plots) with an initial deposit of 30% of the cost of the plot(s) or house.

How much will the plots cost?
As stated above, the project has several thousands of plots. The smallest plot will be about 1,011 m2 (1/4 acre) while the largest will be about 2 ha (5 acres). The minimum price for the 1,011 m2 plots will be K14 million (full payment at once) and K17 million in installments. 2,022 m2 plots will cost K24 million cash and K27 million in installments while
2ha plots will cost K45 million cash and K55 million in installments. The above prices are indicative and are subject to change at short notice.

A 10% discount may be considered depending on the total value of each transaction.

How much will the houses cost?
The cost of the houses will vary depending on the size of the plot purchased as well as the design of the house and finishings/fittings (i.e., kitchen unit, flooring, bath set, ceiling, lighting etc). Generally, at completion, the houses on the ¼ acre medium cost plots are expected to start from about K100 million while the houses on the ½ acre high cost plots will start from K150 million. The 5-acre executive houses are expected to cost not less than K200 million.


Will the plots be serviced or unserviced?
Yes, all plots will be serviced.

Residential Small Holdings (5-Acre Plots)
Roads will be constructed on 5-acre plots. There is already a ZESCO electricity line on the
5-acre portion of the development.

Urban Residential Plots ( 1/4 and ½-Acre)
These plots will be serviced with mains water & sewerage. Roads will also be constructed.

Will the residential area be environmentally friendly?
Yes. Meanwood was originally a farm with much of the original vegetation still intact. The area has been planned from the scratch to be environmentally friendly to its inhabitants. For example, the plot owners/developers will be expected to protect and maintain natural features on their plots. Trees will only be cut where they directly interfere with the construction and prior approval will have to be given by MPDC Ltd. MPDC Ltd will manage the residential area with regard to security, garbage collection, water and sewerage through a subsidiary company, namely Meanwood Properties Limited. Residents will make a small monthly contribution towards the management cost and residents will be free to participate in the management aspects of the area.

Will the property developers build houses for everybody that buys plots?
The property developers shall build houses for sale as well as houses on contract upon request by the plot owners. Buyers will be free to contract other companies to build for them. However, all such contractors will have to be approved by MPDC Ltd. In addition, property developers may build houses for rent to the general public. MPDC Ltd will have a South African company and a Zambia company as contractors on site to build houses. All plot owners will be encouraged to use the MPDC contractors in order to maintain the high standards for the area.

How long will it take to build houses using the MPDC Ltd contractors?
This will depend on the house designs. However, the time period for construction will have to be agreed and be contractually binding. It is envisaged that the construction of houses will on average take 3 - 4 months to complete.

Will Meanwood build show/demonstration houses on site?
Yes indeed. MPDC Ltd will build about 10 houses of different designs and cost structures as show/demo houses. The construction of these houses will commence in March, 2003.

What about building on my own without engaging a contractor?
It is not advisable to build on your own without engaging a reputable contractor, unless you have specialist knowledge about construction. Further, it would be difficult to achieve the high standard of development set for Meanwood. In any case, the construction will be monitored and supervised by MPDC Ltd to ensure that minimum standards are met.

Can I build whatever structure I want on the plot upon purchase?
No, no. Please do not even think of it !!! Buyers will have to meet strict designs and standards of housing required and approved for each particular size and allocation of the plot. (See Contract of Sale Special Conditions).

Can I use whatever building materials I want?
No, no. A list of disqualified building materials, fixtures and fittings will be available. For example, iron sheets may not be allowed on the urban residential plots (1/4 and ½ acres) as they do not fall within our theme.

Is there a time limit within which a plot has to be developed at the site?
Generally, all plots will have to be fully developed within 3 years from date of purchase. The development on the plot will be monitored during the given time frame. However, different plots will have varying time limitations. Please note that plots that will remain undeveloped after 12 months of purchase will be repossessed and subjected to the buy-back clause in the standard contract of sale. This is very important.

Will individuals and/or institutions be allowed to buy more than one plot or house?
It is the policy of Meanwood to have a wide coverage so that as many people benefit from the scheme as possible. However, individuals/institutions are free to buy more than one plot or house provided that they can demonstrate capacity/ability of developing the purchased plots within the stipulated time frame.

Can I merge two or more plots to create a larger plot and build a very big house or semi-detached houses or block of flats?

Sorry, this is absolutely forbidden and is outside our theme. Please refer to the Special Conditions in the Contract of Sale.

Can I Sub-divide my plot?
Again, this is absolutely forbidden and is not consistent with our theme for the residential area. Please refer to the Special Conditions in the Contract of Sale.

Will MPDC Ltd provide mortgages for houses on the project site?
MPDC will build houses on certain agreed payment terms on a case-by-case basis depending on the financial situation of the would-be owners of the house. However, this service shall only apply where the MPDC Ltd contractors are engaged for works.

How can I be sure that once I have paid for the house the MPDC Ltd contractors will build the house for me?

Our Bankers will issue a performance bond/guarantee in your favour to the value of the amount paid.

Allocation of Plots
5-acre plots will be allocated as per purchaser’s preference subject to availability. The urban residential (1/4 and ½-acre) plots will be allocated to the purchasers by the vendors (MPDC Ltd). The plots will be sold in sub-phases (blocks) to facilitate delivery of services during the development stages of the project, i.e., a particular block of plots will be available in the urban residential at one particular time and will have to be exhausted before the next block is open for allocation to ensure a smooth development of the area. This means you do not need to specify the plot number when applying for ¼ and ½ acre plots except for 5-acre plots.

What are the security arrangements at the housing complex?
Security is a very important component of the Meanwood housing theme.

1.0 The whole housing complex will have only two entry/exit points; one
on Twin Palm Road and the other through Great East Road, each
of which will have a security check-point 24 hours daily.

2.0 It is the intention of the developers to erect a concrete boundary wall with electric fencing around the project site.

3.0 Security will also be provided by Meanwood Properties Ltd, the managers of the estate.

Telecommunication Services
Meanwood are exploring the option to put in place an advanced communication system for the housing complex.