Cape Town - The V&A Waterfront says there are no plans to remove existing developments from Granger Bay when it reclaims two hectares of ocean and expands its residential footprint.
The Oceana Power Boat Club and the Grand restaurant fall within the Granger Bay precinct that has been earmarked for residential, retail and hotel development.
But Waterfront chief executive officer David Green said: “The proposed development retains the existing small-craft harbour and all existing users will still be able to make use of the facility. There are no plans to remove the Oceana Power Boat Club from the site.”
The possibility of improving the slipway in Granger Bay is mentioned in the draft scoping report. “A building in this area may be used as a club facility for all users of the slipway.”
Management would be co-ordinated by “the landowner in conjunction with residents in the area”.
Commodore Colin Wolfsohn said he was “exceptionally pleased” that there were no plans to move the club and that it could continue providing access to the sea. But he was concerned that the report said boat launching would be managed by the Waterfront, as the landowner. “Where does that put us as a club?”
The boat club had a rocky relationship with the previous owners of the Waterfront, Dubai World, and in 2002 the club was given notice to vacate its premises. The notice was withdrawn after widespread objections. Growthpoint and the Public Investment Corporation bought the Waterfront from Dubai World in 2011. The boat club has a monthly lease.
Meanwhile, the trendy The Grand Café and Beach’s lease expires in 2016, but Green said that if it could not be accommodated in the new development at its current site, the Waterfront would “seek to find an alternative”.
The Waterfront has development rights for a portion of the erf located landward of the 100m setback line. But Green said plans were still at the conceptual stage and development was not expected to start here “for some time”. The draft scoping report released last week was the first of “many steps required in the process of formalising the rights to the site”, he said.
Plans include a coastal sea park of up to 30m wide with leisure activities taking place along a 1km route. This will complete the pedestrian circuit from Green Point through the Waterfront and into the city centre.
This Granger Bay project, which involves sea work and land reclamation, requires a full scoping and environmental impact assessment process.
The development forms part of the V&A’s long-term plans for the property. Green said there was still about 180 000m2 of bulk land available for further development.
Other projects include the Silo District and refurbishment of Workshop 17. The completion of Pick n Pay’s new generation store, sunk below ground level to allow for park-and-enter shopping, is scheduled for later this year.
Cape Argus