Cape Town - High rise apartment blocks are increasingly replacing family homes in parts of the Atlantic Seaboard such as Sea Point, Fresnaye and Bantry Bay, much to the ire of some residents, who have complained flats are blocking their mountain and sea views, ruining their privacy and altering the suburban landscape.
Developer Gregor Klotz, who has been involved in the building of apartment blocks in the area, said in Fresnaye buildings could be up to five storeys tall, with walls up to 15 metres high.
This emerged in response to questions about a five-storey apartment block Klotz is developing in Bellwood Road in Fresnaye. Other buildings in the road are family homes of two or three storeys.
Residents of Bellwood Road said Klotz’s new block would tower over their homes with the flats’ occupants looking into their gardens.
The residents, who did not want to be identified, slammed the development for “devaluing their properties” and “ruining the character” of the neighbourhood.
One resident said she had tried in vain to persuade the city council to prevent Klotz building a 15m high wall that would block “all my light, including the light to the solar panels”.
“Does the council want it to become like Hillbrow, with one flat on top of one another?”
Klotz responded: “Ridiculous. Has this person ever been to Hillbrow?”
David Polovin, chairman of the Sea Point, Fresnaye and Bantry Bay Ratepayers’ Association, said the area could expect intense densification in future.
“It’s an accelerating trend. There’s no more land, so the only way people can be accommodated is by multi-level units.
“Where one family once lived, four to six families will now live. These developments are happening all around us.
“This leaves the narrow streets terribly congested. But we support controlled change. People are entitled to accept huge offers for their properties and younger residents are entitled to live here in an apartment they can afford.”
The City of Cape Town acknowledged the entire road might become high-rise flats.
Spatial planning councillor Johan van der Merwe said: “All properties in Bellwood Road have this zoning... that promotes higher residential development...and could potentially be developed into flats.”
Architect Lari Levy, who lives across the road from the development, would “lose her massive north view completely and she will have no privacy because they will look into her bedroom”.
Levy said it was better to collaborate with Klotz to establish a new way of developing in sensitive areas. “Sometimes working together is better than fighting a losing battle.”
Another resident said if Klotz had advertised, “none of us would have agreed”.
But Klotz said people backed the development and he was in contact with them.
“It’s going to be a beautiful new modern structure. Big trees are going to be planted and the development won't look out of place.”
Klotz said many homes in the area were larger than his intended building and about the same height.
Accused of ruining the character of the street, Klotz said Bellwood Road had no specific character because some homes were modern, others old and they represented all kinds of architectural styles.
Residents also complained the builders were breaking regulations. One man said his house was “unlivable” and covered in dust because the demolishers had not used shade cloth, dust screens or sprinklers as required by the demolition permit.
Klotz called this a “gross exaggeration” and said he would reimburse any neighbour who lost money as a result of the demolition. He had already reimbursed a neighbour for a window the person claimed was broken during the demolition.
Residents accused the city council of supporting densification for profit. “That way, council can get more rates and taxes. Council wants to grow the city.”
Van der Merwe disagreed, saying the council was proposing year on year to decrease rates and taxes.
Residents also argued privacy screens and landscaping that could shield gardens would fall away. “These features will be first to go. Building costs rose dramatically as a result of the rand dollar exchange rate. The developer will have to cut costs to recover the value of what he spent on the land.”
Van der Merwe said neighbours did not have to comment on the proposed building as it was “zoning compliant”.
Weekend Argus