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For a while now, the City of Cape Town has been talking about giving Bellville a makeover.

They’re calling it the Bellville Future City Project, and it has been launched with the mind to turn the area into a second Central Business District (CBD).

It makes sense considering how central it is. It’s situated close to the airport, various golf courses, wine routes, and shopping complexes, and only 20 kilometres (or roughly 12 miles) from the Cape Town city centre.

That, by the way, is why it used to be called ’12-Myl-Pos’ (12 Mile Post) before they renamed it after the surveyor general Charles Bell.

That’s enough of a history lesson. On to the City of Cape Town website for a word from Executive Mayor Dan Plato.

“The vision of developing Bellville as Cape Town’s second CBD has been discussed for a long time and today, we are taking concrete action.

We are establishing strategic forums to engage academic institutions, the business sector and civil society, which will assist our short, medium and long-term goals of revitalising the Bellville CBD”.

Despite the effects of COVID-19 on businesses and employment, Bellville has managed to keep afloat, and, as the City puts it, is “well-placed to experience rejuvenation and growth”.

One of its main attractions is that it’s a transport funnel via the Voortrekker Road Corridor, connecting people to industrial and commercial areas across Cape Town, including nearby industrial nodes in Bellville Industria, Parow, Goodwood, Durbanville, Brackenfell, Kuils River, and Kraaifontein.

It was originally founded as a railway station on the line from Cape Town to Stellenbosch and Strand, so the City’s plan to develop closer working relationships and collaboration with the rail agencies Prasa and Transnet is taking it back to its roots

Or, routes – some transport humour for you because it’s Friday.

The Bellville CBD project is a “legacy project” as part of the Mayoral Visible Service Acceleration (MVSA) initiative.

“Implementation of the MVSA started at the end of last year. Overall, up to 80 projects to upgrade community facilities and infrastructure, have been identified for funding and execution. In Bellville, the MVSA initiative is also a precursor to the overall rejuvenation of the area,” said Mayor Plato.

Short-term urban management interventions as part of the MVSA have already been put in place to start addressing social problems associated with crime, and what the City calls, “grime”, which must refer to cleaning the place up.

Private investors and other stakeholders will be assisting the City with plans and infrastructure.

We could be looking at a whole new Bellville soon.

[source:cityofcapetown]