The City of Cape Town’s Municipal Planning Tribunal approved a development causing an uproar in Goodwood.
What had the residents so outraged was that the objection was successful, and the flats builder was denied permission by the council. Without their knowledge and public participation, they believed the property was rezoned and construction started.
However, the City quickly put the residents’ concerns to rest.
Eddie Andrews, the City’s deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, says Erf 39803 Goodwood is zoned “Local Business 2” (LB2) in terms of the City’s Development Management Scheme.
An “LB2”-zoned property permits a shop, office, dwelling house, second dwelling, boarding house, bed and breakfast establishment, flats, place of instruction, place of worship, institution, clinic, guest house, service trade, utility service, rooftop base telecommunication station, private road, veterinary practice, and open space, as of right.
Building plans
The initial building plan application submitted to the City during 2021 was for the construction of a block of flats.
Only 13 units were approved on 30 August 2021.
After this approval, a new building plan application, proposing a block of flats consisting of 17 units and a shop, was submitted on 11 February.
The previously mentioned building plan application complied with the zoning of the said property. This application was approved on 29 April.
There was a building plan approved, and this allowed the developer to commence with the building work.
Ward councillor not helping
Residents claim that their Ward councillor are not supporting them.
Another resident said: “Our concerns are why the Ward 27 councillor did not support existing residents halting this multi-million project when it was refused by the Municipal Planning Tribunal (MPT) in 2021?
“And how did this Erf 39803 get re-zoned without public participation since then, allowing mega investors to complete buildings where the privacy of existing private property owners is being compromised.”
The chair of the Municipal Planning Tribunal, Dave Daniels, said a land use application for Erf 39803 was submitted by the owner on 16 May for the permanent departure from the required number of on-site parking bays to permit 27 instead of 30 bays.
The land use proposal involves the departure of the parking requirement to enable the conversion of two of the flat units into four units, which resulted in a total of 19 flat units on site, as well as the shop.
Due to objections received against the land use application, the matter was recommended to the Municipal Planning Tribunal for a decision, whereby the tribunal on 11 October approved the land use application.
This explains why the building commenced.
