Cape Town – An urban study addressing the social and community amenity value of the Deer Park Café site is among the information required by Heritage Western Cape (HWC) before it can make a decision on the demolition application.
Members of the Vredehoek community are fighting against the demolition of the café, earmarked for a proposed four-storey development.
The building in Deer Park Drive houses the popular Woodlands Eatery, Con Brio and Deer Park Café.
The community has appealed to HWC, citing an inadequate period for comment, and that the development, understood to be a 31-apartment building, would be inappropriate for the neighbourhood.
Dealing with the matter on behalf of concerned community members is attorney Suma de Bruyn, of Themis Attorneys, who said the HWC committee had resolved that before it could make a decision on the demolition application, it required further information.
“This includes an urban study addressing the social and community amenity value of the site, and revised submissions regarding the slope, nature and scale of the development in the broader context of the site and its landmark location,” De Bruyn said.
Her clients were pleased with the response received from the committee, which recognised that Rocklands Road Park, Deer Park Drive and the Table Mountain backdrop were important heritage resources, De Bruyn added.
“The committee recognised that although the current building on 2 Deer Park Drive does not have any heritage significance, the site is strategically placed in proximity to a number of significant heritage resources.
“As such, any proposed replacement building will be required to respond adequately and sensitively to its surrounding context, including the spatial interface such a building would have with Rocklands Road Park.”
This was good news and showed the committee was serious about protecting heritage resources, she said.
Heritage Western Cape did not respond to queries by deadline.