Hout and
About
News from
Residents’Association of Hout Bay
PO Box 27031, Hout Bay, 7872
rahb@houtbay.org.za www.houtbay.org.za
June 2006
SEWAGE POLLUTION IN WETLANDS!
The sewerage pump station on Princess
Street has a faulty sensor that fails to register
when the sewerage pipes are approaching capacity. Consequently there have been at least four
instances this year when the manholes adjacent to the Hout Bay
river have erupted and disgorged their contents. Together with the grey water run-off from Imizamo
Yetu, the Hout Bay river has been degraded to little
more than an open sewer for prolonged periods.
Hout Bay residents and visitors are warned to
avoid direct contact with the river
water. Beach-users are warned to prevent their children and dogs from
playing in the water as pathogens may
well be present and may cause serious
infection.
DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS
Development in the Dunes - Erf
547: This erf is located in the dunes behind the beach on an ‘on paper’
extension of Empire Ave on the sea side of Princess Street. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has
been advertised in view of the owners wanting to develop the site for a
Guesthouse or Resort. We have registered
the Association as an interested and affected party (IAP) and encourage
individuals who may be concerned with the proposed hard development in these
dunes to also register. If this
development goes ahead, it is likely to set a very bad precedent for the
area. To register contact the environmental consultants, Geostratics CC, Attention:
Ilze van Niekerk, PO Box
1082, Strand 7139; tel. 021
851-0078, fax 852-0966, email project3@geostratics.co.za
on or before Sat 24 June 2006,
and ask for a Background Information Document.
Hard development in this dune area is not encouraged, not only because
of its sensitive environmental nature, but also because the unsuitability of
the area for habitation. A case in point
is the existing development on the west bank of the estuary, The Beach
Club. This has proved most unsuitable
with wind and sand movement being very problematic for homeowners and with
associated structures preventing the natural movement of the river mouth. A repeat of this unfortunate development
should be avoided. We have asked the
municipal planners to inform us on the current status of the land (no response
to date), although this should come out of the EIA process if it is done
properly.
Erven 287 & 290, Victoria Ave No.18 & 20:
proposed rezoning from single residential to commercial, with
conditional use to permit offices on the ground floor and flats above, and
departures from the building lines. Deadline:
Mon 19 June 2006. While the area has
been earmarked by the Victoria Avenue Management Plan (VAMP) for mixed
commercial activity, we are not in favour of the requested building-line
departures as this inevitably results in a building that tends to be
out-of-scale with what is planned for this area, often with a shortage of
parking and space for landscaping. The
current inclination for developers to focus on residential development rather
than commercial is also unfortunate as this is primarily a commercial area and
we would prefer to see retail space being provided at street level with offices
above. This would help curtail the
commercial creep into residential areas by providing a building more
appropriate to the zoning and primary usage for the precinct.
Erf 1182, Karbonkel Road, Hangberg village:
comment has been called for on the intention to revest all public places
and roads on a section of this erf. The
application is not very clear therefore we have requested clarity from Ms
Beverly Isaacs, Property Management, SPA.
It appears to be something to do with the development of flats in this
area, already under
construction. Deadline: Mon 19 June
2006.
Koeel Bay, below Chapman’s Peak Drive: The
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has given a private company, Tintswalo Atlantic
(Pty) Ltd from Pretoria, a concession to go ahead and develop a private luxury hotel/lodge
in a nature area below Chapman’s Peak Drive (where the old Round Tablers’
Cottage was for underprivileged children’s holidays) with the provision that
they do an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) which is now in progress – the deadline for commenting on
Draft Scoping Report was on Thurs 15
June 2006. In terms of process, we
are concerned that the concession was granted before the EIA was even started, and that the ‘no go’ option is not
being considered. Also of considerable
concern is that this beautiful area with a long history of access to the
Public, and especially for disadvantaged children, will essentially be privatized. The report is in the Library (both at
Hangberg and Melkhout Crescent)
and the Museum. The details of the Gauteng firm doing the
EIA are: Seaton Thomas and Associates,
Attention Judy Johnson, PO Box
936, Irene 0062; email seaton@yebo.co.za;
tel. 012 667 2107; fax -2109. The Table Mountain
National Park and the
Department of Environment Affairs are ultimately responsible – it may be worth
contacting them as well if you are concerned.
COMMERCIAL CREEP
Erf 5681: The Art Gallery
on the corner of Oxford Street
and Victoria Ave
is situated outside the Victoria Ave Management Plan business precinct and is
thus not zoned for commercial usage. The Gallery is now advertising that
it is relocating, which is appropriate, as its usage is against zoning
regulations in this area. However, the
premises are being advertised ‘To Let’.
We hope to ensure that the irregular usage is rectified by the Council
and not extended to the lessee.
Erf 3363: Cnr Empire Ave/ Victoria Rd, Physiotherapy Practice. We
drew Council’s attention to the applicant’s intention to use the premises not
only for himself but also for other practitioners. Recently we have noted that the property is
being advertised ‘To Let’ as a treatment room and office. We are opposed to extending this temporary
zoning departure for the owner to a third party as this is against Council
policy.
Although we are not opposed to individuals working from home, we are
concerned with commercial creep into residential areas including increased
traffic and nuisance value. The
commercial hub of Hout
Bay is well defined by
the Victoria Ave Management Plan (VAMP), but it seems that some people believe
they may conduct business wherever they wish! This leads to others following by
example, and contempt of the zoning scheme and Council policies. We have forwarded these attempted
transgressions to Council and await their response.
SPELUM committee interviews
On 20 June, RAHB will participate
in two interviews at the Council’s Spatial Planning, Environment and Land Use Management
(SPELUM) meeting, and 3 more on 26 June.
The first interview is on the erf
875 application for subdivision and departures from the zoning scheme in Andrews Rd,
Scott Estate. This is an important
objection on our part, and for several other objectors, since municipal
officials insist that the minimum erf size for Scott Estate is 450 sq.m. This is
certainly not the case as proved in a
previous withdrawal of another application in upper King Street, after extensive costs were
incurred by the Province in deciding the case based on Plan TP-HB. The minimum erf size is 650 sq.m and
will be strenuously argued at the Interview based on this premise previously
proved.
The second interview is on an
application for removal of restrictions and subdivision for erf 1810, Helgarda Avenue. The property has a title deed restriction of
‘no further subdivision’. The power of the Province to remove restrictions is a
limited one and must be in the
interests of the public or area at large.
We will certainly argue that this application does not fall into the
scope of the Act and that purely the interests of the owner of the erf do not
constitute a benefit to the public generally.
We shall report the outcome of these interviews in the next Hout &
About.
Erf 4558, Saddlers Row: A further appeal has been submitted by a
neighbour against the Council planning committee’s approval of the proposed
subdivision of this erf based on its inappropriateness in view of the
Victorskloof Management Plan and the uncertainty resulting from such ad hoc decision making.
Also of interest is that the
application for subdivision of erf 3286, Riverside Terrace, has
been withdrawn by the applicant, Mr Albert Broeder. We objected to this sub-division as the
property was agriculturally-zoned with minimum erf sizes, and were supported by
Council officials; we are gratified to see the application withdrawn.
SIGNAGE
In spite of numerous objections to
the Council signage department concerning the two obtrusive signs erected on a scenic
route at the proposed site of the Kronendal Retirement
Village, little action
has taken place and the signs still remain. Council bye-laws state that no sign may be
erected without permission and only a single ‘development’ sign is
allowed after the
development application has been approved. To our knowledge, the Kronendal Retirement Village
application has not yet been finally
approved by Province and yet the two marketing signs have been on display for
many weeks. We will continue to press those responsible for enforcing Council
signage bye-laws to take the appropriate legal action and have these and other
illegal signage in Hout
Bay, removed.
Council:
Comments and objections may be sent (before the specified deadline in
each case) to: The Municipal Manager, Urban and Environmental Services, South
Peninsula Admin, City of Cape Town,
Private Bag X5, Plumstead 7801 or faxed to 021 710-8283 (tel.-8202); attention
Mr. M. Barnes. The general telephone
number for the SPA is 710-8000.
DEADP: Comments
to be sent to Dept of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning:
Directorate Integrated Environmental Management, Region B1, Private Bag X9086 Cape Town 8000 or fax to
483-3098 (tel. -2700 for Environment and
-4789 for Planning) in time to arrive by the deadline.
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Please
remember that your subscriptions
were due on at the beginning of March 2006.
They may be paid electronically (use your full name as a reference on
the payment – to ensure that we correctly credit your membership as this
information appears on our Bank Statement.
Banking Details: First National Bank, Hout Bay Branch (branch
code 204 009), Account name - Residents Association of Hout Bay, Account Number
– 5345 1027 173. If you prefer, payment can also be dropped into our wooden box at the
Library (next to the Hall doors) or posted to our Post Office Box: 27031 Hout Bay,
7872.
Len
Swimmer
Chairperson, Residents’ Assoc of Hout Bay
Tel: 790-0268, Email: lens@telkomsa.net
MEMBERSHIP
(R50
per couple, R30 per individual)
June 2006