Extensive Affordable Housing Projects in the Pipeline

Extensive affordable housing projects are in the pipeline in the Western Cape, including Cape Town’s inner city and feeder suburbs. The projects are spearheaded by the Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town.

The Western Cape Cabinet also recently announced that affordable housing would be included in the development of prime Waterfront and Woodstock properties. Both are suitable for affordable housing at scale, based on cross subsidisation and with or without a restructuring grant.

Affordable Housing has been designated as a strategic priority for the provincial government, including:

•          Pipeline projects worth R3.2 billion and 40 000 potential affordable housing units across the province;
•          The Better Living Model Game Changer: mixed-use, mixed-income projects in Pinelands (3600 units), an inner-city feeder suburb, and Belhar CBD (3000 units) -- both of which are well served by public transport; and
•         The conclusion of an MOU between Human Settlements and Public Works, in terms of which pockets of inner city land have been identified for transfer and use by Human Settlements for affordable housing.

Waterfront & Woodstock Properties

The Waterfront property is located at 1 Beach Road in Greenpoint, near the Stadium and V&A Waterfront. It was formally the Helen Bowden Nurses Home.

The site exhibits high potential to include viable, cross-subsidised affordable housing in the development of this well-located property. The property forms part of the 10.5ha Somerset Hospital precinct.

On Cabinet’s instruction, affordable housing will be included as a condition in the Request for Proposals to be issued by the Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW), relating to the Helen Bowden property.

DTPW will therefore release the land on the specific basis that the maximum number of affordable housing units be included in its development, in a way that is viable and rational.

The old Woodstock Hospital site is a 15 000 m2 property with potential for the cross-subsidisation of affordable housing, within a mixed-income, mixed-use context.

Cabinet has resolved that affordable housing on this site, as a whole or in part, is critical given its locality and size.

Further projects are ear-marked for Salt River, Observatory, Parow and Bellville, amongst several other areas.

The City of Cape Town has also announced plans to enable affordable housing to be developed in the City’s Foreshore Precinct as part of an upgrade to the area which will also address traffic congestion on the elevated freeway.

Better Living Model

In this way we are making progress towards the reintegration of Cape Town, and the combatting of Apartheid spatial planning legacy.

The Better Living Model Game Changer focuses on well-located affordable housing, through mixed income, mixed use developments.

In Pinelands, a residential feeder suburb to the inner city of Cape Town, 22 hectares of land are immediately available. 

We have calculated that 3 600 residential opportunities can be built on this site. This will include a mix of affordable housing options to be cross-subsidised by open market properties and retail space.

A total of 3 000 units are also planned for the Belhar CBD, where a mixed-use high density residential development will create an urban context around nearby education facilities – the University of the Western Cape, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Northlink College and the provincial government’s Oasis School for children with barriers to learning.

The development will include a mix of student accommodation, social rental stock, open market GAP, and bonded properties.

Conclusion

The Western Cape Cabinet is committed to redressing the legacy of Apartheid spatial planning, through the provision of well-located affordable housing throughout the province in a rational, prudent and holistic manner.