The R1,8-billion first phase of the Sandton City Shopping Centre repositioning is "progressing well", says Liberty Properties CEO Samuel Ogbu.

"We are on schedule and on budget. There have been some changes as it happens in any project of this nature, but overall, we had a slight delay to the start of the project because of the difficulty in obtaining an Eskom approval, but we are on schedule to complete the work we want to do before the 2010 FIFA World Cup," Ogbu told Engineering News Online.

Speaking on the sidelines of the African Congress of Shopping Centres, he said that work would stop inside the shopping centre during the soccer tournament. The project will be completed in 2011.

The first phase of the project involves an extensive refurbishment of the shopping centre, as well as adding a further 30 000 m2 of retail space, bringing the total retail space to 131 000 m2.

Ogbu added that the recession had not had a negative impact on the project.

"There have been some positive reflexes in terms of the cost of materials," he explained.

However, the rental negotiations had been more protracted, he said.

Ogbu believes that Sandton City is a "unique shopping asset" and the company is adding new features to modernise it to be on a par with international norms.

"We are adding a degree of longevity and the shopping centre is going to be green in terms of environment friendliness, because of the energy-saving devices that we will employ."