PETER MARTIN, RETREAT

For those who don’t know, the City of Cape Town administration is proposing a number of amendments to the Municipal Planning By-law (MPBL).

These amendments are currently out for public participation (“City proposes changes to planning by-law”, Southern Mail, August 7).

One of the proposed amendments is the inclusion of an “affordable rental flat”. The proposed inclusion of the “affordable rental flat” in the MPBL means that single residential property owners will be allowed to build 8 to 12 flats on their residential property without needing to seek land use approval from the CoCT.

This implies that the right of existing neighbours and residents to lodge objections where such flats invade or compromise their privacy, impact negatively on their health and wellbeing, pose a security risk, obscures their view or deprive them of natural sunlight, will be taken away. In other words, properties adjacent to yours and in your area can be transformed into rental flats, with all its associated social problems, without you having any say. The CoCT wants to take your right to have a say over building development in your community away. Reject this.

Moreover, the proposed “rental flats” amendment will only apply to 194 (group) areas engineered under the system of apartheid including Steenberg and Retreat (consult the list on CoCT website). Areas, such as Constantia, Bergvliet, Meadowridge, Bishops Court, Rondebosch West and all those areas previously advantaged by the system of apartheid, will be excluded from the proposed amendment and their rights and privileges will be protected. In other words, this MPBL amendment will only apply to one group of people and not the other group. Reject the proposed group areas MPBL Amendment.

The CoCT maintains that the construction of rental flats is necessary for “densification” purposes (Media Release September 6). But why are only the areas of people of colour targeted for “densification” while the previously and currently advantaged and privileged “white” areas, where there are ample space and resources for densification, conveniently excluded from this proposed MPBL Amendment? If the CoCT really wants to meet the “demands and needs of those who are settling in Cape Town”, as they state in their communique, then why don’t they include the areas that benefitted, and still benefits, from apartheid in the proposed MPBL Amendment?

Our areas do not need more densification, it is already over densified: look at our schools, look at our day hospitals, look at our bursting water infrastructure, look at the condition and congestion on our roads, not to mention crime. It is the previously and currently advantaged and privileged areas that should be densified with “rental flats” to meet the “demands and needs of those who are settling in Cape Town”. Don’t give your right away. Reject the proposed MPBL Amendment.

Reject the proposed MPBL amendment go to www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay or email lums@capetown.gov.za

steenbergcommunityforum@gmail.com

• Eddie Andrews, the City’s deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, responds:

Any land owner can submit a land use application for the development of affordable rental flats on their property if the current zoning as stipulated in the Development Management Scheme does not allow for this type of development as of right.

· Thus, it is not true that certain areas in Cape Town are excluded from this type of development – any person who owns property in Cape Town is free to submit such a development application for assessment by the City.

· Furthermore, all property owners and developers are still required to submit building plans to the City for assessment and approval, regardless of the zoning of their land where they intend to build.

The proposed additional land use right for the 194 identified areas in the draft revised Municipal Planning By-law is not a blanket approval for development. The intention of this proposal is to make it easier to develop affordable rental flats in these areas by removing the need to submit a rezoning/development application. Building plans will still have to be submitted for approval by the City. These plans will be assessed in terms of various requirements, including the impact of the said proposed building on neighbouring erven.

The City encourages residents and interested and affected parties to attend the clarification meetings that have been scheduled to address questions on the revisions and new proposed provisions to the Municipal Planning By-law.

The in-person public meeting will be hosted on Tuesday October 8, at 6pm, in the Cape Town Civic Council Chambers. Those who are interested to attend are advised to send an email request to lums@capetown.gov.za for registration purposes. Kindly include the questions of clarification in the request so that officials can prepare accordingly.

An online meeting will be hosted on Thursday October 10, at 5pm. Those interested in attending are advised to send an email to lums@capetown.gov.za for registration purposes. Kindly include questions of clarification.

Individual stakeholder meetings will be arranged on request from representative groups; kindly send an email request to lums@capetown.gov.za, and also include the questions on which clarification is needed.

Details of further meetings will be communicated once dates have been confirmed.

The new closing date for comments is midnight on Friday October 25.

How to access the relevant documents and notices:

· Go to www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay

· The relevant documents that residents can peruse for a better understanding include the draft MPBL; a summary of the proposed revisions and new provisions; a memorandum explaining the intention of the proposed revisions and additions; maps of the areas that have been identified for the proposed additional land use right for the development of affordable rental flats; and the media releases highlighting some of the key elements.

Once the public participation period has closed on October 25, City officials will collate all of the comments received, and assess these to see how the draft revised MPBL can be further improved and refined, taking into account all of the input that has been submitted by the public during the now 90-day commenting period.

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Change to planning by-law threatens residents’ rights

Don’t give your rights away