Cape Town - Sports bars, late-night venues and retail outlets are among the proposals being mooted by the draft scoping report – now available for public comment – to make the Cape Town Stadium financially viable.
As the stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup, is running at a loss of about R39 million a year, the City of Cape Town has been advised to amend zoning conditions for the precinct so that commercial activities can take place.
The Environmental Partnership is managing the application for the stadium precinct, as well as the proposed development of the Granger Bay Boulevard Site.
According to the draft scoping report on the stadium precinct, “significant” areas within the existing venue are not being used, while others could be used more effectively.
“Flexibility is required for a future stadium operator to optimise commercial opportunities. It has been estimated that about 20 000m2 of potential lettable business space (office, retail and mixed-use) exists within the stadium structure.”
The consultants have said the proposals are limited to the stadium precinct and will not infringe on the Green Point Urban Park.
The last public meeting on the commercialisation of the stadium was in October last year when many residents called for its demolition.
The draft scoping report has identified potential effects of rezoning which could require further investigation.
The scoping report on the Granger Bay Boulevard site deals with the city’s plan to develop a portion of the area to generate revenue. Part of the site is zoned as open space, while the remainder is for community use.
Both draft scoping reports are available for comment until August 22 and there will be eight public meetings from July 29 until August 13. For more information, visit www.enviropart.co.za - Cape Argus