Hout and About

News from Residents’Association of Hout Bay

PO Box 27031, Hout Bay, 7872

rahb@houtbay.org.za                             Feb 05

 

 

ARGUS CYCLE RACE

The Argus Cycle Race is scheduled for Sunday 13 March 2005, and will come over Chapman's Peak Drive into Hout Bay Main Road. Cyclists will go around the circle into Princess Street, turn right into Victoria Avenue and proceed out of Hout Bay past Suikerbossie and towards Llandudno. For any queries and further information contact person and Organiser is: Mr Ken Sturgeon, 083 200 1785

Hout Bay restaurants benefit from the carbo-loading by participants and the Residents' Association of Hout Bay wish all participants a safe and fun ride! 

 

REZONING AND DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS

Erf  8344, Groot Moddergat, Main Rd:  We have received an application for the rezoning and subdivision of the rest of Groot Moddergat.  The applicant is asking for subdivision into 17 Special Residential erven, i.e. cluster housing exactly like the North Oaks development that is already there.  The Manor House would remain as General Residential in order for the Guest House facility to continue. 

   We feel this land (1.5 hectares) is a needed offset to the existing North Oaks development which is extremely dense for an area so close to rural land and the urban edge.  Therefore we believe it is particularly inappropriate to put more cluster housing there.

    The Manor House dates back to the middle 19th Century and such historical buildings need to have the area around them preserved.

    Moreover, while on its own this proposed development might not add significantly to the congestion of Main Road, taken with all the other planned developments along the road, there would be a significant increase in traffic.  The North Oaks access is inherently an especially difficult one, with the sight distances impaired further by Oak trees.   Deadline: Tues 22 Feb 05. 

Erf  7835, Harbour Rd (opposite Mariners Wharf):  The application for (1) Re-zoning from Amenities to Commercial for retail on the ground floor and residential on the first floor, (2) Departures to allow the relaxation of the 8 m street building line to 2 m (for the steps) and 4.5 m (for the building) and to waive the side building lines (from 4.5 m to 0 m and 1 m), (3) Departure to permit the relaxation of the require “space about  building” from 266 to 56 sq.m, and (4) for a Conditional Use to permit flats above ground floor.  Deadline for objections: Mon 7 March 05 [but this deadline may have been postponed until an EIA has been undertaken].

Erf 291-2, No.s 14 & 16 Victoria Ave:  Application for (1) approval of the Site Development Plan i.t.o. the conditions of the rezoning approval, (2) Conditional Use to permit flats above the ground floor, and (3) Departure to permit the relaxation of the bulk factor from 1 to 1.36, and (4) Departure to permit the reduction of the required ‘space about the building’ (for the use of residents) from 284 to 253 sq.m.  Deadline for objections: Thur 10 March 2005.

 

Please note that comments and objections to the applications above must be posted or faxed to the South Peninsula Administration (SPA) of the City of Cape Town, Urban and Environmental - Land use, Attention. Mr. M. Barnes, Private Bag X5, Plumstead, 7801 or fax 710-8283, and received by them before the deadline.

Application details are available for inspection at 08h00- 12h30 at the SPA, 1st Floor, 3 Victoria Rd, Plumstead 7800 (tel. 710-8249), and sometimes in the Hout Bay Library.

 

LEASE APPLICATIONS

Or, in some cases, “More Land Grabs”?!

[Objections to be sent to Property Manager, Private Bay X5, Plumstead 7801, or faxed to 710-8375 by the deadline; information from Ms B. Isaacs, tel. 710-8382]

Erf 4057, Darling St (crn Skaif Street) :  Application to lease part of Darling Street road reserve (200 sq.m) to owner of Portion 1 of erf 4057 at R50 per annum plus rates.  

   Whilst we are not in principle opposed to the leasing of public property to private entities where there is no loss of public amenity; and would certainly encourage adjoining owners to extend their gardening energies into caring for public ways, we are not in favour of the walling off of these areas, especially so when it is a fait accompli as is the case for this current application in Darling Street.  To make matters worse, this land was essentially “stolen” and the wall built despite the fact that our Committee drew the attention of the municipality to this irregularity when the two new townhouses and wall were being built, and nothing effective was done to stop it.  In this case, we note that a 1,8 metre high wall has been erected about the area in question, forming a very large incursion into the roadstead. 

   We are totally averse to the impunity with which certain landowners subsume public space into their properties, and then at some later date seek to have the situation authorized! Thus, we have here an example of a rather rare broad roadway being pirated by the adjoining owner, and being rewarded for his effrontery by receiving a very lenient leasing arrangement.  We would expect to see some form of discouragement to this surreptitious form of land occupation being administered by the Authorities.  Deadline for comments and/or objections - Mon 21 Feb 2005.

Erf 149, Dune Lodge, Harbour Rd: proposed lease of adjacent 710 sq.m of public land and road reserve along Northshore Drive to Ronzee Property (Pty) Ltd for parking and gardening for 5 years at a rental of R600 per month escalating by 10% per annum.  Deadline Fri 18 March

Erf 4377, crn Albert and Harbour Rds: proposed lease by owner of erf 4377 (B.C.  Barson, Albert Rd) of adjacent 181 sq.m of public land (portion of erf 150) for gardening purposes for 10 years at a rental of R50 per annum plus rates.  Deadline Fri 18 March 2005.

 

THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH

South Africans produce over 24 million tons of waste every year.  That’s enough waste to fill the Kimberley hole!

What is waste and where does waste go?

How could the waste in your home, school or work place be used as food or energy?

[courtesy Environment Diary – 2005]

 

 

Len Swimmer

Chairperson, Residents’ Assoc of Hout Bay

Tel 790-0268 lens@telkomsa.net

 

MEMBERSHIP:

(R50 per couple, R30 per individual)

Forms from Chairperson or Library or

rahb@houtbay.org.za

 

[Feb 2005]