The golf club that has called Pinelands home for 115 years could be bulldozed for housing
A City of Cape Town development concept for Pinelands proposes 6 700 new homes and nearly 75 000 m² of commercial space on land that includes the King David Mowbray Golf Course.
The City’s new Pinelands development plan threatens to shut down one of Cape Town’s oldest golf clubs.
On 28 May, the City’s Property Development Department published the Draft Development Concept for the KDMGC Precinct, setting out plans for land in Mowbray and Pinelands. The site hugs the N2 highway, between Links Drive and Raapenberg Road. It takes in the King David Mowbray Golf Club (KDMGC), the Clyde Pinelands football fields and nearby open land.
What exactly is being proposed?
The City wants to turn this open, green space into a dense urban neighbourhood housing, shops, offices and small factories, all in one area.
The plan proposes about 6 700 new homes. That is more than half the total number of homes in all of Pinelands today. About a third would serve lower-income residents as affordable housing. The rest would target middle- and high-income buyers.
The plan also calls for roughly 85 000 m² of office space and more than 100 000 m² of shops. That is bigger than several large shopping malls combined.
Club chair Mike Flax wrote to members this week. He was blunt.
“If the City is somehow successful with the process, it would mean the end of our Club, which has a proud and inclusive history and plays a large role, not only in our community, but in South African golf,” he said.
Can the area’s pipes and roads handle it?
The City’s own document admits the existing pipes, roads and power lines cannot support this scale of development.
The sewer pipes in the ground cannot carry the waste that 6 700 new homes would generate.
The City would need to build two new pumping stations to move sewage to the Athlone treatment plant. Water pipes, stormwater drains and electricity cables all need major upgrades too.
Roads would also take a knock. The City proposes new traffic lights and road links. But residents doubt these fixes will be enough.
“There are much more appropriate pieces of land that can be developed in Cape Town land that does not require billions of rands spent on civil works just to ensure that flooding and other environmental issues are managed,” Flax said.
What about schools?
The plan estimates about 13 000 additional school-going learners would move in. The City plans only one new school. Local schools are already full. Residents say adding thousands more learners without enough classrooms would be a disaster.
Why does this club matter?
Bob Grimsdell designed the KDMGC in 1910. The club has hosted the South African Open and draws about 25 000 visitors a year. Those visitors support local jobs and tourism.
The club also serves as Western Cape headquarters of the South African Disabled Golf Association and runs youth development programmes for young golfers in the area.
“The proposed development threatens to end the club’s unique role in supporting local employment through golf tourism, providing access to disabled golfers, fostering youth development programmes, and preserving vital green spaces in the city,” Flax said.
Is the club safe for now?
The club has eight years left on its lease with the City. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis agreed to remove a clause that let the City cancel that lease with just two years’ notice. The club now has breathing room for the full remaining term.
But Flax warned members not to relax. “This does not diminish the necessity of taking action,” he said
The petition against the development has drawn more than 3 320 signatures.
Want to have your say?
Come to the Public Open House on Saturday 20 June. It runs from 10:00 to 14:00 at the club. City officials will present the plan and answer questions.
- Email your comments to mowbray@infinity.capetown by Monday 6 July.
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