“We want to make it clear, we are not against housing for Grabouw residents. We are against how Theewaterskloof Municipality has handled it!”
So says PJ van der Westhuizen, chairperson of the Elgin/Grabouw Taxpayers’ Association (EGGRA) regarding the Gypsy Queen development.
He claims the municipality has deviated from the original plans for Gypsy Queen, and now it wants to build HOP houses on plots of 7 m x 15 m.
“This small space must accommodate a house, garden, parking space, washing line, place for children to play and even to keep chickens. Furthermore, TWK wanted to zone the area as residential Zone 2, which means formal houses and informal structures would be allowed on the same properties,” he relates.
“We ask that the municipality rather focus on Flisp housing (Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme) for this development. Flisp is there to help first-time home buyers who have a combined household income of R3 501 to R22 000 per month. It gives them a once-off government subsidy to help with the purchase or construction of your first home.
“What further grieves the ratepayers is the fact that the planned housing is at the entrance of the town and next to an established residential area which, according to residents, will not only create a poor impression of the town, but will also affect the property values of the adjacent residential area.”
CONFUSION ABOUNDS
The community claims it was not informed about the change to Gypsy Queen, but TWK said it was advertised in Hermanus Times in February. “The application, including the latest layout, was advertised in the newspaper and registered notices were sent to potential interested and affected parties, as prescribed under the land-use regulation. In this period members of the public were invited to provide feedback on the application. The process is still ongoing.”
Residents say they have done everything in their power to prevent the development, but they feel they are being ignored. Ratepayers held a meeting with TWK mayor Lincoln de Bruyn about the situation on 5 March.
“We have done everything in our power to prevent the new development, submitted representations, held meetings, came up with new proposals, but absolutely nothing came of the matter,” Van der Westhuizen says.
A meeting involving TWK and different Theewaterskloof ratepayers’ associations heard how disempowered residents feel.
BREAKDOWN OF DEVELOPMENT
Yet a letter from TWK, dated Monday 15 September, said the development would proceed.
It reads: “The Municipal Tribunal on 7 August this year approved the following application in terms of Section 60 of the Theewaterskloof Municipality: Bylaw on Municipal Land Use Planning 2022: Subdivision of Unregistered Erf 8078 (15 4992 ha) to include the following:
- 76 x single residential Zone 1 erven to be used for Flisp housing purposes;
- 467 x single residential Zone 2 (SR72) erven to be used for subsidy housing purposes;
- 67 x single residential Zone 2 erven to be used for Emergency Housing purposes;
- 16 x Open Space Zone 1 erven;
- 1 x Community Zone 2 erf to be used for place of worship purposes;
- 1 x Utility Zone erf to be used for detention ponds and other municipal purposes; and
- the remainder to Transport Zone 2 to be used as public roads or streets.
Van der Westhuizen says ratepayers would lodge an objection against the finding.
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