[imagesource: Red Cliff Properties]

If you’re after a slightly less frenetic lifestyle than those who call the City Bowl home, Kommetjie is good living.

You’re still in Cape Town, technically, but things are a little more laidback. Chances are you can trade kombucha scoby with your neighbours, and even though you get the odd dickhead surfer, there’s a sense of community.

One popular landmark could be set for a complete overhaul in the years to come, with developer Red Cliff Property Pty LTD talking about a “master plan” for a development site near to Imhoff Farm.

The site’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process will commence shortly, and if developers get the green light, the more than 58 hectares of Cape Farm 1529 will soon include retirement, residential, retail, and educational amenities.

Managing director Gerhard van der Horst says 22 hectares of the farm will be set aside as a conservation area, reports Property24:

The ‘Master Plan’ application is to create a sustainable community where people are able to live and work, which is integrated with those in the surrounding areas, for mutual benefit, says Van der Horst.

The development site is located within the Southern Planning District urban edge and will act as a link between the communities of Ocean View and Kommetjie. Van der Horst says significant socio-economic benefits are anticipated, mainly due to increased temporary and permanent employment prospects as well as business opportunities.

Van der Horst reckons the full project will take between 30 and 50 years to complete.

Anybody who has experience driving from Kommetjie to Noordhoek, and the length of time it has taken to complete an overhaul of that stretch of road, would be inclined to lean towards the latter of those two figures.

The Property24 article is really just a press release sent out by Red Cliff Properties, so bear that in mind when reading the figures below:

It is estimated that the project will inject R1,56 billion into the area, and create more than 6 600 jobs during its construction phase.

The operational phase will contribute R330 million to the local economy with a further 604 employment opportunities for locals.

Much like the Noordhoek wetlands road development, which is mired in controversy due in large part to the threat it poses to a “Critical Ecological Support Area”, there could be some pushback from environmental groups, as the proposed development site contains critically endangered fynbos species.

Again from the Property24 article/press release:

The site’s ecologically sensitive areas will be set aside and secured as conservation areas that are specifically orientated to maintain ecological connectivity between the adjacent northern and southern parts of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

“Red Cliff is committed to the sustainable and responsible development of property in Kommetjie, preserving the sense of place, contributing to its economic growth and job creation for locals. We look forward to working with the community and other interested parties to help us achieve these goals,” says van der Horst.

As stated earlier, the Public Participation Process (PPP) is due to start soon, so that members of the public can “engage with the process and help to identify issues and concerns that need to be addressed”.

You can find further details of Cape Farm 1529’s development on Red Cliff Property’s website.

[source:property24]