Hout and About

News from Residents’Association of Hout Bay

PO Box 27031, Hout Bay, 7872

April 2008

INCOMPLETE BUILDING DEMOLITION

Corner of Clyde and Victoria Avenue

At the last sub-council meeting the state of the old Loxton building on the corner of Clyde Street and Victoria Avenue (64 Victoria Avenue/19 Clyde Street, erf 2950) and the two adjacent buildings in Clyde Street (17 Clyde Street, erf 2951 and 15 Clyde Street, erf 2952) was discussed.

The buildings have been stripped of any materials of value, including the municipal water meters. Currently the site is unfenced, including two unfenced swimming pools. The matter has been referred to the authorities but it is unclear at this stage which City Council department is responsible. In the meantime, the Association has notified SAPS and Neighbourhood Watch as the site is a security hazard, fire hazard and health risk.

SIGNAGE UPDATE

The Residents Association’s efforts continue in an attempt to remove the illegal signage in the Valley. Signage control in Hout Bay has been ignored for a very long time. This has left us with a situation where a free for all is the order of the day with new signs being erected on public property every week.

Apart from the seventy large billboard signs placed on public land we now have signs placed in front of regulatory traffic signs, signs placed in the centre of pedestrian pavements, signs with edges sharp enough to gouge out an eye of an unsuspecting pedestrian, electrically lit signs with cables run over public land and in trees, bollards placed on pavements intended to mimic officialdom and thereby move pedestrians toward a business, signs pointing to distant businesses and signs placed in parking bays.

The Association has met regularly with the official responsible for enforcing signage regulations. We have provided a person willing to undertake survey work for the short staffed Council, sets of photographs, maps of Hout Bay, names of offending businesses, details of the signs, contact details for the businesses, GPS co-ordinates, spreadsheets of data and erven numbers, as well as an intern capable of doing the required office work. Despite these efforts, very little has been achieved in the last year due to the continued reticence of the City Council employee responsible.

The RAHB remains committed to resolving this issue with the legal and functional resources at hand.

LAND GRAB

The owner of a property who annexed a large piece of public space adjacent to his property in Sandpiper Place has, through the interventions of the Association, been served with an encroachment notice from the Council. The outdated encroachment notice has also been highlighted for discussion at the next Sub Council meeting.

Sub Council Update

The following Applications were dealt with on the 20th March meeting of the Subcouncil Good Hope in Hout Bay:

Erf 4420, Forest Hill Rd - Application for Subdivision & Departure. The application was refused, the majority of Councillors voting against the application & in favour of RAHB's submission.

Erf 4505 Hunters Way, Tarragona Estate - Application for Land Use Departure to operate "a centre for living ritual". The application was approved - 3 Councillors in favour & 2 opposed to the application. Residents in the neighbourhood, David Priilaid & Dr Ann Sumner also gave verbal objections to the application & were very disappointed with the result. Cllr Smith did however, recommend restrictions on the noise level and parking problems off street.

ERF 31 Norman/Victoria Ave APPLICATION FOR SUBDIVISION &

DEPARTURES

It is with absolute dismay that we are informed that the Planning Appeals Committee of the City of Cape Town, on the 15^th February revoked the previous decision by the Good Hope Subcouncil taken on the 17^th May 2007 and approved this opportunistic application for subdivision and departures.

The Residents’ Association of Hout Bay strongly opposes the decision to approve this application for subdivision in spite of strong opposition from our Association, the Heritage Trust and at least 4 other objectors living in the neighbourhood. The minimum erf size has been disregarded.

NEW PLANNING APPLICATIONS

Erwen 840,842,1844,2223, 2829

Leopard Rock Estate – Marais Road

Draft Basic Report by M E Noffke

Planning in Balance: Fax: 021 785 687

Proposed development of 1,1ha into 14 Single Residential properties of 650 sq m or more. E-mail: envirosolutions.co.za

Erf 7309, Hout Bay, Sports Field, Main Road: application for temporary land use departure for the installation of a telecommunication base station by NEOTEL on existing infrastructure.

Deadline: Friday 25 April ’08.

Comments or objections to: Mrs D Samaai Fax 021 710 8283. We will be objecting as this is right next to the children’s playing ground in Imizamo Yethu.

Community Policing Forum

One of the issues raised during the Public CPF meeting on the 27^th of March.

Len Swimmer, chairperson of the Hout bay Residents Association asked about the ratio of SAPS officers to residents in Hout Bay. Superintendent Asaram answered “In terms of sector policing, there should be ONE captain and ten officers per sector. There should be FOUR sectors in the Valley however due to severe staff shortages within the Hout Bay SAPS we are only able to have TWO Sectors operating.” The estimated population of Imizamo Yethu on its own is around 28,000 – 32,000 but the Superintendent is optimistic that the situation will improve in the future as the current Hout Bay SAPS manpower shortage is receiving attention from the Provincial Commisioner.

DIAL A RIKKI!

A new taxi service is being introduced into Hout Bay. The Rikki taxis will respond to specific calls via telephone for their service and not roam looking for business. The new concept was seen as a boon to the various guest houses etc. that would use the service for their clients and ensure their safety.

THANK YOU RAHB!

“Having read an article on the net about the Hout Bay Residents Association and the active role it takes in the community I decided as a resident of Hughenden road ( with the illegal entrance to the township)to send a letter to Mr Len swimmer (chairman)about the troubles we have in this notorious part of Hout Bay. Mr Swimmer replied immediately and soon the whirlwind started.

I was amazed at how the RAHB took action , various officials were contacted and a rather large group of people were appointed by the Mayor’s office to have a meeting at the top of Hughenden.

Councillor Marga Haywood led the proposal and finally it was agreed at the sub-council meeting to approve the gate/boom. (article in Sentinel 28 March – Boom time for Hughenden Estate)

For the residents in Hughenden this is a triumphant victory , we will no longer need to endure the reckless taxis , shebeen deliveries at all hours of the night and large deliveries of building materials for more shacks ( spread up to the reservoir). Replacing the council gate/boom will make a huge difference in our lives. Section 24 of our Constitution states that every-one has a right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. We in Hughenden have to endure both. Hughenden is the gateway to the population explosion in I.Y just look at Google.

Having sat in on a RAHB meeting I was pleased to hear that the association was well informed about Hughenden and have for many years been involved in trying to get council to replace the gate. Through numerous emails and meetings the decision was passed at council. We can only hope from this point on that the gate/boom is hardy enough to avoid vandalism as it is quite lawless up there , we as residents will fund -raise in order to install a camera for Watchcon.

The Community of Hout Bay has an association that cares about all of its inhabitants and I believe that that all aspects are dealt with in a holistic and reasonable fashion for the good of all.”

Regards

Melissa Risi

Candlelit Dinners

It seems that our designated load shedding time in the Valley is Tuesdays 6 – 8pm. Take the time to enjoy an evening without the television and sit down for a candlelit dinner with your family instead. Remember to be security conscious during this time, as our security companies are often inundated with alarm signal activations when the power goes down.

RAHB held its ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING in the Hout Bay Library Hall on Wednesday 16 April 2008.

GUEST SPEAKER was Councillor Jean Pierre Smith (JP), Chairman of Good Hope Sub-council 16 – who held a Q&A session, answering relevant questions

RAHB WEBSITE

Visit our website and stay informed about what the Residents Association of Hout Bay is doing. www.houtbay.org.za

Dear Hout Bay Resident,

We invite you to join the Resident’s Association by sending an email to rahb@houtbay.org.za and we can send you details re membership and alert you to some of the important issues that might affect you as a resident of Hout Bay in our monthly newsletter.

You might also want to use your skill to help the Association operate and participate in community affairs

MEMBERSHIP

(R50 per couple, R30 per individual)

Forms from Chairperson or Library. Association’s Banking Details: FNB, Hout Bay(code 204009) A/c: Residents Association of Hout Bay, A/c Number – 5345 1027 173.

Subscriptions may be paid electronically (please 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

If you prefer, payment may 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