Hout Bay Harbour: The next V&A Waterfront?

Cape Town’s Hout Bay Harbour may well become the next V&A Waterfront.

This is according to several industry experts and government officials, who have identified the harbour as a prime location for redevelopment into a waterfront-style tourism hub.

Here’s more:

HOUT BAY: INVESTMENT HOTSPOT

In recent years, the seaside suburb of Hout Bay has seen high levels of interest from local and international buyers-cum-investors looking to purchase or develop luxury properties.

Per Daily Investor, “Hout Bay is attracting significant international buyer interest, with property transactions already exceeding R600 million in 2025.

“In 2025 alone, there have been 37 foreign transactions, with sales ranging from R5 million to R25 million, chasing last year’s staggering R1.3 billion mark. Hout Bay’s property market has shown consistent growth, with average selling prices increasing by approximately 6.7% annually.”

Now, Hout Bay’s own harbour looks ripe for prospective investment and development.

HARBOURING THE NEXT V&A WATERFRONT

Speaking to Tourism Update recently, Dean Macpherson, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, expounded on Hout Bay Harbour’s untapped potential.

“Hout Bay is a state-owned harbour that sits largely idle,” Macpherson said. “The structural redevelopment rights for that will turn it into the second version of the V&A Waterfront. This is the scale of what unlocking our assets does for infrastructure and construction in South Africa.”

Alderman Eddie Andrews, Cape Town’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, echoed the sentiment.

“Although the Hout Bay harbour may not compare to the Cape Town Port in terms of the scale of opportunities offered, or has the strategic value of Simon’s Town naval harbour, it has by far the most significant opportunity of all the proclaimed fishing harbours in the metro area,” said Andrews.

POPULARITY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Compared to the V&A Waterfront, a tourism and retail hotspot that features a huge variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment options, Hout Bay Harbour may feel like small fry.

Yet despite lacking grandiose outlets and accompanying infrastructure, the harbour is renowned for its own brand of cultural, dining and leisure activities.

For one, it’s home to the famed Bay Harbour Market, where locals and international visitors can purchase craftwork, clothing and delicious food in abundance.

Speaking of food, you can’t go wrong with fresh fish, chips, seafood and other delectable culinary options at eateries such as Mariner’s Wharf Harbourfront Emporium, Sinnfull Ice Cream and The Lookout.

And to sate your adventurous spirit, there are opportunities to go kayaking, snorkelling and foil-surfing, as well as embarking on glass-bottom cruises and boat trips to Duiker Island.

HOUT BAY HARBOUR FRAMEWORKS

Should development occur, it could do wonders not only for Hout Bay’s economy, but Cape Town’s as well.

Planning frameworks supported by studies to kickstart restructuring have long been in the pipeline. However, until clarity is provided on factors such as development timelines and definitive implementation commitments, such frameworks remain in the realm of aspiration.

Still, all signs point towards a specific outcome, that being Hout Bay on track to becoming the next V&A Waterfront – and possibly in the not-too-distant future.