Rondebosch residents demand answers over unannounced Tannery Park demolition

Rondebosch residents say nobody informed them about a large-scale residential development at the Tannery Park site on Belmont Road. They are demanding to know why they are only finding out now.

Ross Demolition has been tearing down the Tannery Park office complex between Main Road and Liesbeek Parkway. No developer notice board stands at the site and the developer has made no public announcement about what is planned.

For many residents, the first sign that something had changed was the sight of excavators and the sound of structures coming down.

“People are wondering what the intention is for this site, as there is nothing easy to find searching online,” said Kas Chandramohan, founder and co-ordinator of the Rondebosch Belmont Zone community group. “Normally, a developer would erect a large notice board advertising the proposed development. There is currently no such information available.”

What residents found

Residents who contacted People’s Post pieced together what they could find online. Documents on the website of traffic engineering firm Motion Consulting Engineers list a project called “Tannery Park Residential Development”, undertaken on behalf of Rawson Property Group between 2020 and 2021.

The firm’s summary describes “the redevelopment of the Tannery Park office park into a 681-unit apartment block” with retail and office space on the ground floor.

People’s Post could not independently confirm whether Rawson Property Group remains the developer or whether the 681-unit figure reflects the current proposal. The Group had not responded to a media enquiry at the time of publication.

‘The last thing this area can handle’

The uncertainty frustrated residents across the neighbourhood.

Colleen Knox, chair of Rudson Park, said nobody warned her about the demolition. “The first I heard of it was when I drove past and saw the demolition happening. The last thing this area can handle is more residential blocks and more traffic. Over summer we often have no water on the upper levels of our building,” she said.

Knox said a City official told residents the City was reducing supply to protect ageing pipes. “If it can’t handle what’s already built, I’m not sure why more development is going ahead,” she said.

Sharon Rust, manager of Grosvenor Square retirement facility nearby, said the demolition came without any prior communication. “The noise level has been quite disturbing. This is a relatively peaceful neighbourhood with a number of old age homes in the area. Traffic management is going to be a nightmare,” she said.

Margriet Wienand, who has lived in Rondebosch for 27 years, said development had already stretched the suburb’s capacity. “Infrastructure is already strained, traffic is diabolical. I had to find out via Google what’s happening,” she said.

Chandramohan said her concern was not with development itself. “My concern is whether the impact on surrounding properties and local infrastructure has been adequately assessed as part of the approval process,” she said.

Councillor raises infrastructure alarm

Ward 59 councillor Mikhail Manuel has indicated he is prepared to push for a pause on development approvals in Rondebosch. His condition is that water infrastructure must prove it can handle additional demand.

In a message to the Rondebosch Belmont Zone WhatsApp group in December last year, Manuel said he had raised the issue with senior City officials.

“I’ve passed on this note to the senior officials as well, and made a special point that water officials need to give accurate comments on the building development applications if the pipes can’t handle additional pressure without bursting,” Manuel said.

He pointed to a precedent elsewhere in the city. “In the Milnerton area, the City has paused development approvals until the Potsdam wastewater treatment plant upgrade is complete. If our water pipes infrastructure can’t handle the additional pressure, then I will gladly push for a similar approach for the Rondebosch area,” he said.

Addressing his December statement, Manuel said Rondebosch did not face the same constraints as Milnerton.

“If Rondebosch faced the same capacity constraints, I would gladly argue for similar conditions to apply to development applications. However, Rondebosch does not face the same constraints,” he said.

The City responds

Deputy mayor Eddie Andrews confirmed the City approved a development application for the site in August 2023 and issued a final notification letter in October 2023.

Andrews said the approved development is 505 dwelling units not 681 comprising 458 studio units, 38 one-bedroom, six two-bedroom and three three-bedroom units, along with shops, restaurants and workspaces. The City advertised the application in February and March 2022. “One letter of conditional no objection and two objections were received,” Andrews said.

The developer must pay a development charge of R11 232 531,58 for bulk services upgrades and fund road improvements at several intersections along Belmont Road.

Andrews also confirmed a subsequent application proposing to change the land use from flats to a boarding house. The City has not yet decided on that application.

Questions that remain

The City’s response answers several questions but leaves others open. People’s Post is pursuing:

• Whether residents received the neighbour notification the City says it sent in 2022
• Whether Rawson Property Group is still the developer
• What the pending boarding house amendment means for the neighbourhood
• Whether the 2023 infrastructure conditions are sufficient given ongoing water pressure complaints

People’s Post will update this report as information becomes available.

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