Cape Town - As the City of Cape Town gives the green light for the public participation process to begin in releasing the Green Point Bowling Greens’ property, which has the value of R680 million for affordable housing and commercial opportunities, land rights activists said they had their reservations about the plans.
The process has been added to the City Council’s agenda for December 5.
The City hit back saying the housing activists were standing in the way of the development of social housing.
Housing and land activists, Reclaim the City, said they had been lobbying since 2018 together with Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), advocating for the site to be used for affordable housing.
The Green Point Bowling Green is 27 000 m2 of public land owned by the City which is bigger than two soccer fields and includes bowling greens, vacant fenced-off land and two clubhouses.
According to the City, the property is situated at 1 Three Anchor Bay Road, Green Point and is well-connected to key destinations along the Atlantic Seaboard and Cape Town’s CBD, and close to key landmarks such as the Sea Point Promenade, Cape Town Stadium and Urban Park, and the V&A Waterfront.
They added the site was located near public transport routes serviced by Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), recreational amenities, popular business and entertainment hubs, and significant tourist attractions.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the
City envisaged a mixed-used development to help drive economic and socio-economic benefits while increasing affordable housing in the area.
Hill-Lewis’ office stated for their vision to be fulfilled, they intend to retain existing community amenities such as the library service point and civic hall on the site.
“This Green Point site represents some of the highest value land in the southern hemisphere, with an estimated desktop market value of R680 million,” said Hill-Lewis.
“This is a long-term development that will bring major economic and social benefits for Cape Town, making our city an even better place to live as part of our vision to build a City of hope for all.”
Hill-Lewis added current use of the property included Sea Point Library and the civic hall, including privately operated sports grounds and clubhouses, public parking, an electrical substation, an ECD (early childhood development centre), and vacant undeveloped land that is used periodically as an informal market.
The leases of four tenants, currently on site will expire in September 2025.
A heritage impact assessment (HIA), a socio-economic and a market demand analysis will be done, to determine residential affordability options for the development.
James Vos, Mayco member for economic growth, said part of the process also includes an approval prior to the participation period they added.
“This is a long-term project, and the road ahead will include detailed studies into the best development plan for the site that resonates with the market, while advancing the City’s socio-economic objectives,” he said.
“This will inform the City’s submission of a comprehensive land-use application to secure a basket of mixed-use development rights to unlock the full potential of the site. Development rights will be offered to the market through an open and competitive process.
The City is seeking to realise the full market value of the land and expects to raise significant revenue from the land sale, and future rates contributions from the development, for reinvestment in service delivery and infrastructure upgrades throughout the metro.
Reclaim the City and NU said on October 7, 2022, the City published a notice in the Cape Argus, inviting public comments on its proposal to grant
a short-term lease at a nominal rate of R3 000 per year. They said they would continue to call for low-cost housing along the Atlantic Seaboard strip.
“RTC strongly opposed this lease renewal,” they said.
“We are concerned that the City is shifting its stance to maximise the full market value of the land. This approach risks perpetuating segregation in Cape Town, excluding the poor and working-class families – predominantly black and coloured communities who need affordable and social housing in well-located areas.
Vos said the bowling greens are just one part of a larger land parcel which the City is investigating for mixeduse development including affordable housing.
Carl Pophaim, Mayco member for Human Settlements said housing developments have mushroomed across the city in recent years.
“In under two years, various municipal-owned properties – with a yield of over 4 200 units – have already been released as part of the Mayoral Priority Programme for accelerated land release for affordable housing. Overall, the City has some 12 000 affordable units in the pipeline,” he added.
“Reclaim the City are themselves a major obstacle to social housing following their hijacking of two buildings in March 2017, including Helen Bowden Nurses Home on the seaboard owned by the Western Cape Government, and the Woodstock Hospital.
“These are major sites ear-marked for social housing, and projects would have been well advanced were it not for years of obstruction by RTC, who hypocritically claim to be advocating for advancing social housing while doing precisely the opposite.”
genevieve.serra@inl.co.za