Cape Town - Table View residents are up in arms over a proposed development at the intersection of Arnold and Gie roads which will see 35 housing units built.
The application, which was brought forward by FJC Consulting Town Planners and Land Surveyors on behalf of East African Properties (Pty) Ltd, plans to enable the development of a consolidated property with a 5-storey block of flats within 100m of Blaauwberg Road.
Greater Table View Action Forum Planning and Biodiversity head David Ayres said the application contravened national legislation as it did not comply with the National Environmental Management Act and the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act.
“It is not policy-compliant and does not comply with the most basic provisions of the Blaauwberg District Plan. Indeed, the applicant confirms this application is not policy-compliant by including sections of the Municipal Spatial Development Framework that clearly state that this application cannot be supported as it is not a mixed-use development. The City has no alternative but to reject this application,” he said.
Ayres said the applicant had made false and misleading claims about the economic benefits of this application. He said while there would be short-term temporary jobs in the construction phase, no full-time employment opportunities would be created.
He said the applicant also erred in understanding the extent of the biophysical environment in relation to the application. He said with the constraints at the Potsdam Wastewater Treatment Plant the application would damage the environment and was not environmentally sustainable.
“Given the constraints we have at the Potsdam Wastewater Treatment Plant and the environmental damage this plant has done to our environment, this application, if approved, would damage the biophysical environment by further damaging the Diep River, Table Bay Nature Reserve, the Milnerton Lagoon and the beaches and oceans in our area.
“This damage has already negatively affected the lives of the population. Further demand on the Potsdam Wastewater Treatment Plant would further damage the biophysical environment and negatively affect the population of the Table View area and those in neighbouring communities,” he said.
Ayres also said that if the applicant had carried out a credible traffic survey it would be aware of the heavy traffic and lines of traffic at the intersection. He said the applicant wrongfully claims that this application would have little or no impact on traffic.
“This is particularly noticeable at peak times. The lines of traffic regularly extend beyond the application site and into Arnold Road. This application would add to the traffic misery that already exists and make the residents prisoners in their own homes,” he said.
Table View Ratepayers Association chairperson Mandy Da Matta said the association’s stance was that there had to be a moratorium on all buildings until the infrastructure was stabilised to cope with existing requirements.
“Currently our infrastructure is under high pressure that is collapsing due to the fact that the necessary upgrades were not implemented for the last 10 years. There must be development in an area to provide better services but not at the cost of the existing structure.
“With the population explosion that we have in the province, more especially in Table View, if we are not keeping pace with infrastructure development and maintenance, we are heading for an accident of catastrophic proportion. How is it plausible that the City departments are not talking to each other and how is it possible that the town planners are not coming out to give physical site inspections before approving plans?” she said.
Resident Phillipe Roche said parks and places for people to enjoy themselves were less, while the schooling system in the area was overloaded, refusing people, and yet the City continued to approve developments.
Cape Argus