The City of Cape Town is piloting a new approach in which communities can map community planning initiatives within their area.
Devising the Strand Local Spatial Development Framework, or local neighbourhood plan, is one of the first of these initiatives.
All residents, business owners, and interested and affected parties are invited to the first meeting about the design and visionary urban regeneration strategy for Strand.
The meeting will take place on Thursday 5 May, starting at 18:00 at the Strand Town Hall in Piet Retief Street.
“Future Strand is an intervention to revitalise this beautiful seaside town, making it a place for people to live, invest and linger even more. It comes in response to a growing desire among residents and business owners to see Strand reach its full potential. I therefore want to encourage all of those with an interest to see Strand flourish, to attend this very important first engagement,” said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews.
The purpose of the Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF) is to re-establish this once-vibrant and economically sustainable neighbourhood, create a sense of belonging and to establish a multicultural community. It formulates a spatial vision, related policy guidelines and interventions that will assist to rebuild the future of Strand in a sustainable manner, and to integrate and connect Strand with the surrounding areas.
This strategy and action plan for the project contains proposals for a number of initiatives over a short period (one year) and in the longer term (five to seven years).
It is anticipated that the combination of place-based activations, public art installations, and improvement of the aesthetic of the town such as an improved street scape will result in inward investments by property developers, business owners, and homeowners’ associations.
It is the City’s intention, together with the local community, to embark on a journey to refine the overall spatial vision for the Strand area. The collaboration will result in a draft neighbourhood plan or LSDF that will guide future development within the area and aim to revitalise the town and re-ignite the economy of the area.
