If you yet haven’t noticed that the City of Cape Town is in the process of dividing, selling and leasing pieces of land they own throughout the peninsula, it clearly hasn’t affected you.

Overall it hasn’t been the most satisfactory of processes, and the latest bid has Camps Bay and Clifton residents fuming.

Last week, the City awarded a controversial R1 billion tender for the development of the Clifton Precinct to consortium K2015298271 South Africa (Pty) Ltd, reports News24.

The campaign was driven by Mayor Patricia de Lille – oh dear – who was striving to “have the prime coastal land handed over to private developers and she received an unsolicited bid from a private consortium involving two acquaintances of hers”.

It involved selling, as well as “leasing out city-owned land”, for a period of 50 years:

In 2015, it was reported that the majority of Cape Town councillors voted in favour of the project, with the ANC, ACDP and FF Plus opposing it.

The total offer by the association was R1 014 244 500 and unsuccessful bidders “now have 21 days to appeal this outcome”.

Those who haven’t welcomed the news had strong views with regards to what the development means:

Len Swimmer, deputy chairperson of the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, which represents more than 360 organisations around the city and less affluent areas including Manenberg, said residents would lose out.

“They’re going to build a massive parking lot [as part of the development], so people will have to then pay and won’t be able to get in,” he said.

“So it’s going to be an exclusive area for the wealthy.”

Chris Willemse, chairperson of the Camps Bay and Clifton Ratepayers Association, said the awarding of the tender by the city was disappointing.

“They [the city] took no cognizance of the huge public disapproval of this scheme,” he said.

“We know what happens. The area gets gentrified. People who are enjoying the area traditionally, historically and rightfully won’t be able to afford it anymore.”

Willemse said it seemed as if the City of Cape Town had awarded the tender simply to benefit itself.

“It’s not a secret that developers are the sponsors of the DA,” he said.

But what the buyer will have to do with the land is quite a feat – take a look at what they are having to develop:

• A boutique hotel, or serviced apartment site, of 3 500 square metres.
• A restaurant and retail component of 5 000 square metres.
• Two pockets of residential developments consisting of 52 residential stands
• A mixed-use area, consisting of officers, studios and apartments, of 2 250 square metres.
• An underground parking facility of about 725 parking bays.

The successful bidder would also have to provide and upgrade surrounding public infrastructure, the cost of which will be funded by the City:

This included the Maiden’s Cove picnic area which was to be revamped into an area similar to that of the Green Point Urban Park, improving the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by upgrading a key road in the area, as well as rehabilitating the Clifton Lifesaving Club buildings.

[They will have to provide a new] boardwalk in the Bantry Bay area to provide the public with access to a certain part of the shoreline.

While there are a few issues to be had with this, it should irk residents that inviting new development at the moment shows a deep lack of foresight.

I mean, we’re in the middle of a drought and you want more people living in the Cape Town CBD?

[source:news24]