The City of Cape Town’s Coastal Management branch has made great progress with the upgrading of the Fisherman’s Lane precinct located at the Strandfontein Pavilion. The upgrade which includes the removal of the damaged road and seawall, the provision of a new access road to link the parking areas, and the construction of new recreational facilities, is scheduled for completion towards the end of September 2023. Read more below:
Work commenced in October 2022.
Thus far the team has managed to complete the following aspects of the upgrade project:
- Construction of a generous staircase to the beach which has replaced the broken and unsafe road, referred to as the ‘Broken Road’ that was there before. The rock revetment on either side of the staircase protects the car park from coastal wave action processes.
- On the western side, the parking area was retreated away from the coast and a gabion edge constructed to protect it. The services that were located on the seaside of the berm were moved to the landside of the berm to protect these services from coastal processes.
- The road linking the western parking area with the eastern parking area has been reconstructed on the same footprint. This is programmed for completion by the end of July 2023.
‘Another interesting aspect of this project is the partnership the City has established with two local NGOs and a mosaic artist, Jocelyn De Freitas, who has been working with high school learners to create mosaic artworks for the new playground at Fisherman’s Lane. The mosaic artist dedicated her time to two groups of high school students as a hands-on skills transfer by allowing the learners to work on the actual artwork that will be installed on site. Thus, this project is more than only an upgrade of Fisherman’s Lane, but also offers other benefits to these young learners.
‘We are now embarking on the last phase of the Fisherman’s Lane upgrade project and look forward to the completion of the sidewalks, the creation of a link between the picnic and braai area and the beach, and the installation of lighting. The construction of the braai facilities, installation of play equipment, art and soft landscaping will be done over the next few weeks. Soon residents will be able to enjoy this dignified, welcoming and high quality recreational and public space,’ said Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment.
The playground landscaping will include lawns and trees for picnics and the berm between the northern and eastern parking areas will be vegetated with coastal plants.
Once completed, wave action will continue to reshape the dune separating the new road and picnic area from the waves until it reaches its equilibrium profile. This is part of the natural coastal processes.
‘The Fisherman’s Lane project will see this iconic coastal facility restored and upgraded. The City recognises Fisherman’s Lane as an important recreational landmark and believes this project demonstrates its commitment to improving priority coastal infrastructure for the benefit of the local community,’ said Alderman Andrews.
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