The City of Cape Town is calling on residents and interested parties to comment on the proposal to exempt defined development areas within Airport Industria, Atlantis, Flamingo, Kuils River, Mitchells Plain Town Centre, Ottery/Lansdowne and the Voortrekker Road Corridor from heritage protection.
This is to allow owners and developers to alter, improve and demolish buildings older than 60 years without prior approval from Heritage Western Cape; and for the consolidation of three or more properties that fall within these areas.
‘‘Reducing development related red tape will assist with economic growth, ease of doing business in Cape Town, and job creation,’’ says the City’s deputy mayor and Mayco member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews.
Included in this proposal is the intention to place certain conservation-worthy properties on the heritage register for protection through the City’s Heritage Protection Overlay Zonings.
‘‘As Cape Town is ageing, many buildings are turning 60 years and older by default. Currently, any person who wants to alter or demolish a structure older than 60 years must first apply to Heritage Western Cape (HWC) for a permit to do so, whether the property has any heritage value or not. Only once HWC has issued the permit can they submit a development application, or a building plan to the City for consideration.”
Should these proposed exemptions be approved, application to HWC for a permit will no longer be required, nor will notifications of the intention to develop.
Andrews says if approved, the exemptions will reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on developers, property owners, the City, and HWC, as well as delays in building plan submissions.
The City has undertaken a National Heritage Resource Act exemption areas investigation to pursue Section 34 and 38 exemptions.
‘‘I want to assure our residents the team did a lot of fieldwork to identify buildings and places that could have heritage value within the proposed exemption areas. As part of this application process, we will be informing affected property owners that their property is conservation worthy, and provide them with the opportunity to comment on our proposal to include it on the heritage register as part of the submission to HWC,’’ says Andrews.
Visit the City’s Have Your Say page at www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay for more information. Objections and comments may be submitted until 14 August.
