Blythedale Coastal Resort, a 1000 hectare resort development on the KZN North Coast is expected to create more than 80 000 jobs during its ten year construction period. Its potential to impact positively on the surrounding communities is so significant that the KZN Local Economic Development (LED) Support Programme used it as an example of how gated estates can impact on equitable economic growth for the areas in which they operate.

By ensuring that large scale developments such as Blythedale Coastal Resort achieve maximum impact on their surrounding communities, it is essential that inputs to the project are sourced locally so that there is a higher multiplier effect. By using local suppliers and labour, the spending is amplified over and over again as the community attains more buying power.
In the case of Blythedale Coastal Resort, a needs analysis will be done to determine the available and necessary skills. The Construction Education and Training Authority has already committed to providing 1000 learnerships to the community for construction and soft trades.

iLembe District Mayor, Councillor Welcome Mdabe said, "People from all walks of life will benefit from this massive project. The resort’s tourism, education, commercial and residential components has increased the job scope to include job opportunities in the hospitality, ecological, sporting, and coastal sectors as well.”

In Blythedale’s construction sector, approximately 35 000 jobs will come from wet trades which include brickwork, plastering, concreting and tiling. These are expected to plough R3, 7billion into the economy. The potential turnover for services and installations is expected to be R8billion.

Opportunities in the maintenance sector will create a further 5800 jobs worth R490 million in turnover. The key opportunity in this phase is the potential for the creation of SMMEs. A symbiotic relationship between residents and local suppliers can be guaranteed by encouraging the use of existing business owners and the formation of new businesses.

Material supply is another area where knowledge of the resort’s requirements can help identify what can be produced locally. This sector is expected to generate 650 jobs with an approximate turnover of R50million.

Although this sector cannot be accurately measured, Blythedale’s tourism component will create hundreds of service oriented jobs. These include shops in the commercial node, beauty salons and therapy rooms, bike hire, domestic helpers, tour guide and caddy services.

 “By using resources from the local communities, Blythedale Coastal Resort will lead the way for economic growth in the area and assist the government in achieving its objectives of providing affordable housing, job creation and poverty alleviation,” said eLan Group CEO Mark Taylor.