Cape Town - The City of Cape Town says a portion of the Green Point bowling green has been earmarked for mixed-use development, including affordable housing, as part of its Land Release for Affordable Housing Priority Programme it launched in April.
This is in response to the public outcry over the planned renewal of lease agreements to organisations currently using the site located on Three Anchor Bay Road in Green Point.
On October 7, the City published a notice calling for comments on its plans to grant short-term leases of the portions of Erf 2187 and 1056 in Green Point for sporting purposes.
The City is planning on leasing the 8315.1 square metres for two years and 11 months to Glen Green Point Sports Centre at a rental of R1 195 per annum.
Another portion of land which measures 1 574.43m² is planned to be leased to the Western Cape Bridge Union at the same rental and period, while Kyokushin Karate Cape Town would be leased 552.8m² for five years with an option to renew.
Social housing movement Ndifuna Ukwazi has objected to what it said was the City’s delays in the development of affordable housing on the site.
The organisation said despite the City’s commitment to use the site for affordable and mixed-income housing, it was leasing it for exclusive uses that did not benefit residents or the city.
In a response to a letter by the organisation in 2018, in which it quizzed the City about the status and plans for Erf 2187, then deputy mayor Ian Neilson said the intention was to have a mixed-use development that will include affordable housing “informed by the outcome of the most feasible financial modelling”.
Ndifuna Ukwazi attorney Jonty Cogger said the City spent a considerable amount of money getting consultants to develop plans for the site to be developed, yet such plans “had been gathering dust in a filing cabinet in the Civic Centre for several years now”.
GOOD general secretary Brett Herron said the sports facility was long identified for an inner-city development that included mixed-income, affordable housing and mixed uses.
Herron said the catalytic investment team had an advanced development proposal that included innovative and green tech energy, waste and water solutions.
“Yet again, the DA-led City will be dragged to eventually implement this promise by public pressure and GOOD councillors who will continue to be champions for spatial integration and well-located affordable housing.
“We will get to the point where this public land will be used for the public good. When we get there, the City will once again announce it as if it invented the wheel,” he said.
The City said the initial 3-year lease term with the crèche, bowling and bridge clubs had ended and council, as required, advertised its intention to renew the lease agreement.
The City said the annual tariff of R3 000 was based on the “social care” rate charged to welfare, charitable, cultural and religious organisations performing community functions on leased council property.
It said it was not correct that this is the only cost to lessees, who it said were also responsible for security and maintenance costs of the property.