On Friday the 13 December in Cape Town, MEC for Environmental, Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop, announced that after having considering all information at her disposal and the representations made to her by interested and affected parties, at the public meeting held on 3 December 2007, that she had accepted the Architectural and Landscaping Guidelines for the urban park, but rejected the current format of the Green Point Urban Park Site Development Plan which was submitted to her by the City of Cape Town.
Essop asked the City of Cape Town to submit an amended Urban Park Site Development Plan for her urgent consideration and said that the amended plan should take the following into consideration:
- that the reconfigured sporting clubs depicted on the current site development plan should be re-organised and amalgamated so that the land use opportunities on the urban park can be optimised. Sporting clubs representing the various sporting codes should be further consolidated to allow further open space for public use. This includes the consolidation and sharing of club facilities such as change rooms and ablution facilities. Consideration should also be given to completely demolishing the existing stadium and shifting the athletics track to the Green Point Track site. The tennis node should be tightened to allow for more open space accessible to the general public.
- that consideration should be given to the possibility of reducing rating of the golf course from a 72 par to a 70 par rating. The implications of reducing the par rating should be specified, including how much open space for public use will be freed up as a result of this change in the golf course design.
- that the design and treatment of facilities in the urban park should accommodate the needs of the physically challenged.
- that a walking/running track around the golf course periphery (with appropriate safety measures such as constructing a covered pathway) should be included in the design of the urban park.
- that natural and visually permeable boundary around the golf course such as water features and green edges such as hedging should be implemented.
- that adequate parking opportunities for park users (other than those making use of the sporting facilities) should be provided for and the plan should specifically show these opportunities.
Essop also said that the revised Urban Park Site Development Plan should be advertised in local newspapers throughout the City for a 30 day period and should include in the advertisement how the plan has changed or provide information as to where this detailed information can be obtained by members of the public.
Essop issued an undertaking that she would make her decision on the amended Site Development Plan 30 days after receiving the amended plan which would have to be approved by Council.
Issued by:
Minister Tasneem Essop
Environment, Planning and Economic Development
For further information contact:
Nils Flaatten
Ministerial Spokesperson
Ministry of Environment, Planning and Economic Development
083 708 7119
Note:
The Urban Park Site Development Plan is the physical plan of the park or said differently is the actual diagram of how it looks.
The Architectural and Landscaping Guidelines for the urban park is a more detailed document of the park and what physical structures, surfaces, trees, etc will be used.