Council’s Recreation and Parks Department has implemented a process to prepare the abandoned property on the perimeter of Hendon Park in Gordon’s Bay to be leased to market for purposes of an entertainment facility.
The property was previously a fun park comprising water slides, a putt-putt course, go-cart circuit and trampoline, but the facility has been shut for the past two decades. It has reached a stage of neglect and deterioration.
According to Ward 100 councillor Sean Stacey, the site is currently zoned as open space, which has limited primary rights. The department has subsequently submitted a consent use application to obtain additional rights to use the property as recreational facility with limited business use (such as trading limited to the building footprint).
A development application notice calls for comments, inputs or objections to the land use proposal, which will close on Monday 17 October.
“Once we conclude the land use process, we will then obtain ‘in-principle’ approval to proceed with the lease process, which will also determine the length of the lease (normally 10 years). Again, we will have to follow a public participation process,” Stacey explained. “Once this has been concluded, we will initiate the supply chain management process, which will include the draft tender process.”
The site will only go to market in the 2023-’24 financial year, he added.
Edwina Hadfield of the Gordon’s Bay Residents Association (GBRA) said they were shocked to see the notice on the fence of Hendon Park. At first, they did not have a positive reaction, as the GBRA has been interacting with the City of Cape Town the past four to five years for the use of this piece of ground.
“After discussions with the subcouncil manager and Councillor Stacey, we have a better understanding of the rezoning application. It was always envisaged that the hut would become a Joint Operation Centre (JOC) or a one-stop shop for residents during major incidents. When we have fires, we don’t have the facilities to set up a JOC, plus we have to scramble for kitchen facilities to feed the firemen or disaster team. We would also house our pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras in this building plus our street camera project,” she said.
The space provides ample parking for emergency vehicles, Hadfield elaborated, and further plans are on the table to build a community centre to serve residents. This may include a library and community hall for events.
“The tract of land on the other side of the parking area can be used for a vegetable garden,” she related, further pointing out that the property is costing tax payers an “astronomical” amount of money as it has around-the-clock security on site.
“When the last tenant left the premises it was fully functional; today it is a shell and a mess.”
She also clarified that the GBRA will not object to the rezoning, but their comments will be more in line with the vision of a recreational area that houses a community centre and the JOC.
She urged residents to ensure the property will be used for a community centre and a JOC for the community safety structures.
Stacey hopes the centre and JOC can be incorporated into a fun park, as he believes it will benefit the GBRA and the wider community. “Our youth need entertainment facilities as well and this site would ideally suite that purpose.”
