News from Residents’
Association of
rahb@houtbay.org.za
www.houtbay.org.za
May
2009
RAHB’s 13th AGM
The Residents’ Association AGM was held on 8th of April in the Library Hall. Guest speakers from the Environmental Resource Management Department of the City spoke about the recently established Integrated Coastal Zone Unit. The unit has been established to assist with the implementation of the Integrated Coastal Management Act that will shortly be signed and legally enforceable, and a Coastal Protection Zone will be established.
In order to
establish this Protection Zone, Mr. Colenbrander and Mr. Tsotsobe have been
researching and working on a risk assessment computer model of the effects of
storm surge and general sea level rise in the
The effect on
infrastructure can be measured and threats must be acknowledged, however the
political will to implement the Act is essential if coastal areas are to be
protected. The effects of mismanagement are shown in
The Association is grateful to Mr. Colenbrander and Mr. Tsotsobe for taking the time to present at the AGM and field some challenging questions from the meeting.
The Chairman presented his report for the year and a copy can be viewed at www.houtbay.org.za.
The new Executive Committee was appointed and evening concluded with drinks and snacks in the foyer.
Enough is Enough
On the evening of the 19th of
April, e-TV News channel 403 and Carte Blanche also covered the ongoing
controversy about the closure of Chapman’s
Peak and the partisan agreement with Entileni, which guarantees substantial income
despite the ongoing closure of the road.
The Premier, Lynne Brown has promised the road will be opened to the public in September this year. The RAHB questions why it has taken so long, who has profited from this debacle and what the future of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) will be in light of this highly controversial excessive waste of tax payers’ money.
Len Swimmer goes on to say, “The Press Statement from Premier Lynne Brown
begs more questions than answers. The RAHB were denied a representative on the
Investigating Committee without any reasons provided. Thus this internal
investigation did not provide any access to the public and has now simply
pronounced its findings that “no evidence of impropriety with respect to the
financial management of the project was uncovered”. How the contract itself
could have been accepted and signed by Province defies any good business logic
– but after all it is only the taxpayers’ money!”
“The Province is now talking of re-negotiating the contract which is
badly skewed in favour of the Concessionaire and tightening up of the
management; but why should the Concessionaire, Entileni, agree to any of this
when they have such a ‘sweet contract’ in their favour?”
Planning Applications & Issues
Erf 3644, 17 Louisa Way: Another application has been received to subdivide this erf into two portions which are less than the minimum erf size for this area. We believe that this is purely an opportunistic application (by the new owner, MZL Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd) as the previous application was rejected by the City and opposed by our Association in 2005. Deadline for comment is Friday 8 May. Comments to be faxed to Mr K Barry on 021 710 8283 or posted /hand delivered to Planning & Building Development Management, Private Bag X5, Plumstead, 7801.
Erf 2221, Wood Road off Main Road: Application for a Temporary Land Use Departure in terms of Section 15 of the Land Use Planning Ordinance No 15 of 1985s to permit the installation of a wireless internet base station and antennae system on the existing Cell Mast in Wood Road, Scott Estate. Deadline for comment is Monday 4 May. These should be faxed to Mrs D. Samaai 021 710 8283 or posted /hand-delivered to Strategy & Planning, Dept Planning & Bld Dev Mgt., Pvt Bag X5 Plumstead, 7801.
Erf 4374, Harbour Road (‘Water Rock’): We have received a Background Information Document (BID) on a proposal to re-develop the old boat building and maintenance facility more or less opposite the main entrance to the Harbour – at the base of the Harbour Road Cliffs. The applicant wants to build a 6-7 storey building (including a basement) which is intended as a mixed Commercial and Residential development (named ‘Water Rock’).
The proposed
height (6-7 storeys) is considerably in excess of the 2-storey (8 m maximum) or
sometimes 3-storey (11 m maximum) buildings that, according to the Zoning
Scheme, are allowed in
The process being followed is in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) which requires a Basic Assessment Report which will be submitted and based on comment from the consultant driving the process and, importantly, from the interested Public who are invited to identify possible impacts on the surroundings.
So, if you are at all interested, please
register as an Interested and/or Affected Parties (IAP), ask for the BID, and
comment on this proposal by Tuesday 12 May. The contact person is Mr Ross Holland,
Erf 7754, No.7 Valley Rd (formerly Panache) Application for Proposed Amendment of Conditions of Rezoning
Approval and Conditional Use to enable the accommodation of an institution
(drug rehabilitation centre) and conditional use to permit this institution for
FSD Property Holdings (Pty) Ltd.
Objections to
this proposed application must reach Mr R Brice by deadline Wednesday 20 May 2009.
Tel 021 710 9308 Fax 021 710 8283.
e-mail Roger.Brice@capetown.gov.za
Ref:LUM/33/7754(Vol-1) Application No. 174175
Appeal against approval of subdivision
Erf 3074,
The Association strongly appealed against the City of
The City’s Planners have paid scant regard to the objectors
and have shown a bias and a preference instead towards the Applicant and the
desirability of the proposal.
The Province has dismissed RAHB’s appeal and we have asked
for full details in terms of PAJA (Promotion of Administration of Justice Act)
as to why Pierre Uys has acted in this way.
Erf 666 dumping
This
matter has been reported constantly to the Provincial Department of Environment
and Development Planning (almost on a daily basis). We were told by Mr Fagd
Said a few days ago: “I will respond to
your emails after our site meeting on Thursday 30 April”. Whereupon, RAHB
responded as follows: Please take note of the continuous dumping (see attached
pics with date & notes) on a daily basis which has accelerated at an
alarming pace. After your meeting on Thursday, we look forward to hearing of an
immediate cessation of activities and full removal of the dumped sand berm and
restoration of the site to what it was before it was despoiled. Alternatively
we will have to get the Court to order your Dept to take the necessary action
in terms of the laws you should be enforcing.
STOP PRESS REPORT
On Thursday the 30th April at 2pm a truck
was seen dumping fill on erf 559 adjacent to the Beach Club. The owner of the
vehicle is a Mr Kleynhans and his driver was instructed,(we
were told), to dump the fill on erf 559 by Mr Marcel Hoogebeen who was
purported to be owner of the land.
The overseas owner of this land recently had an
application to rezone this land from amenities to residential but this was refused
by the City of
It has always been our experience that such unlawful
activities often commence over long weekends when official policing is limited.
Seafront for All
The Residents Association has contributed
R500 to the SEAFA (Sea Front for All) campaign to oppose the development of the
Sea Point Pavilion site. The campaign made progress last year when the
Unfortunately the developer, On Track Developments (Pty) Ltd, continues to oppose SEAFA’s court application and recently filed an affidavit formally opposing it.
If it goes ahead, the commercial
development of the pavilion site would set a disastrous precedent for the use,
for private commercial purposes, of the entire public open space from Mouille
Point to
Integrated Development Plan
An
Executive Summary of the City’s IDP 5 year plan has been made available for
scrutiny and comments had to be submitted to the Manager Subcouncil 16, before
29th April.
Down the Garden Path
Last month the RAHB reported on the newly
instigated success of the Waste Plan programme for collection of recyclable
material in
However, the bad news is and we were
staggered to learn that the City closed down the garden refuse recycling
facility in
Richard
Timms of the Heritage Trust wrote the following letter to Cllr Clive
Justus,
Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services, Cape Town Civic Centre, 12 Hertzog Boulevard Room
32, 6th Floor, Podium Block, Cape Town 8001
Fax : (021) 4001333
E-mail: clive.justus@capetown.gov.za
Re-establishment
and Location of the Garden Waste Recycling Facility, Hout Bay
You will be aware that the Garden
Waste Recycling Facility in Hout Bay was closed down abruptly earlier this
month on the instructions of Mr T A Carroll, Manager Collections, Solid Waste Management, Utility Services,
without any prior warning to the local community, who have been using this
facility for years,.
We have been informed that
closure of the Garden Waste Recycling Facility resulted from violent
threats uttered by shack dwellers living adjacent to the Facility site, who at
some time constructed their shacks on a portion of land outside the proclaimed
Mr Carroll has written that: “the site was closed due to threats by
residents surrounding the site, the threat was against the contractor and his
equipment valued at millions of rand. The contractor removed the machine and
therefore we could not continue accepting garden refuse on the site. Allowing
stockpiling on the site contradicts the fire control laws as well as
environmental laws governing drop offs. The only alternative available as an
option is the site at Hangberg and this is not finalized yet. The site would have to be inspected and
approved prior to any thoughts of opening the site for garden refuse.”
The abrupt closure of the
Facility, without any prior consultation with community organisations and without
any arrangements in place for an alternative site has immediately resulted in
major problems. The disastrous results
of this precipitate action grow daily with widespread illegal dumping
increasingly taking place on public open spaces, including 14 dumps
already in the sensitive and supposedly environmentally protected wetlands.
In a City which claims to be
controlled by the rule of law, it is unacceptable that a small number of
violent illegal squatters should be allowed to flout the law, disrupt the
rest of the community and cause severe negative impacts on the
environment. The Hout Bay Community
Policing Forum is consulting with the Hout Bay SAPS Superintendent about
measures required to ensure that the persons issuing violent threats will be brought
under control, so that the Garden Waste Recycling facility can be
re-established on the original site, which is much the best location for
it. If this requires urgent action on the part of higher SAPS authority
to strengthen the
The existing huge mound of
chippings, which blocks the view across the site, should be removed so that
security guards could exercise effective surveillance across the whole Facility. If the Facility is
well managed,
the mound of accumulated chippings should not exist. The chippings should
be trucked away on a daily basis to a composting site. It makes more
sense for the relatively compact chippings to be trucked away rather than
the uncut waste and brushwood having to be transported in a larger number of
smaller vehicles every day.
At present after rain a lot of
water, including sewage from the area above the site, collects in the chipping
site and runs down the road and across the general recycling area below. This
is unacceptably unhygienic. While the proposed berms are being constructed,
storm water drains and some arrangements for dealing with the sewage should be
installed.
We urge that the City authorities
should liaise with the SA Police Services as a matter of urgency to ensure
effective control of persons living adjacent to the Facility. The site is virtually next door to the Police
Station, so this should not be difficult.
When this is achieved, the site can be adapted urgently and the Facility
re-established in its original location.
With the nuisance factors removed for those living alongside, everybody
will win.
Community Policing Forum Meeting
A
public meeting was held at the Library on 25th March. Sadly, the meeting was poorly attended by the
community and in light of the statistics that were presented by SAPS at the meeting, the Association would encourage Residents to
support our security groupings. We are
very lucky to have a core group of committed residents, a Neighbourhood Watch, a
Policing Forum and a Civil Emergency Response Team. They need our support.
House
breakings 36% increase
Theft
out of motor vehicles 42% increase
General
theft 21%
Credit
Card fraud 25% increase
Acting Supt. Roberts also gave
the following results for the month:
Road Block
Operation 27/02/09 “Operation Coca” 77 general traffic fines.
Foot patrols were also carried
out and 13 males removed from the area of the milkwood trees at Checkers.
Road Block Operation 8/03/09:
10 drunken driving arrests: 130 general traffic fines.
(R50 per couple, R30 per individual)
Forms from
Chairperson or Library. Association’s Banking Details:
FNB,
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
Chairperson,
Residents’ Assoc of
Tel:
790-0268, Email: lens@telkomsa.net