The City of Cape Town will host three open days where residents and interested parties can view the 11 City-owned sites in Salt River, Woodstock and the inner-city to be developed for social and affordable housing opportunities.
‘We will issue the prospectus for the development of social, affordable and inclusionary housing opportunities on well-located City-owned land on 29 September 2017. This date marks a momentous occasion as we embark on developing prime land for at least 4 000 lower-income households in Salt River, Woodstock and the inner-city.
‘The importance of this precinct-led development cannot be overstated: apart from the scale and the fact that thousands of households stand to benefit from these opportunities, it also marks a break with apartheid spatial planning where our urban form is defined by poorer families living on the fringes.
‘We need our residents, the private sector, and non-governmental organisations in the housing realm to support us to make a success of these developments. I therefore urge the public to please make the time to visit our exhibition on one of these open days. We want all Capetonians, and in particular those living and working in these suburbs, to contribute and participate in the processes in the months to come,’ said Councillor Herron.
The open days will be hosted at the Cape Town Science Centre at 370 Main Road, in Observatory:
- on Friday 29 September 2017 from 15:00 to 19:00
- on Saturday 30 September 2017 from 09:00 to 14:00
- on Sunday 1 October 2017 from 10:00 to 15:00
The last open day coincides with the Open Streets Day along Main Road where sections of the M4 in Salt River and Woodstock will be closed for vehicular traffic between 08:00 and 16:00.
‘This is the ideal opportunity for residents and interested parties to walk over to the Cape Town Science Centre. We will be exhibiting maps of the 11 City-owned sites which are to be developed so that the public can see the exact location of the land. More information about the specific sites and our vision for the precinct will be available as well,’ said Councillor Herron.
Those visiting the open days will also have the opportunity to share their ideas with the City.
‘Going forward, the City will follow a partnership approach where we will collaborate with all relevant stakeholders and, most importantly, with the people who currently live and work in Woodstock and Salt River. I have already met with some residents and ratepayers’ associations over the past weeks and we have hosted our first informal housing dialogue with developers from the private sector and representatives from civic organisations earlier this month,’ said Councillor Herron.
There will be ongoing public information sessions, dialogues, workshops and other relevant forums in the months ahead.
‘We will keep on engaging with the local community, residents, and other role-players as the development processes for these sites unfold. I am excited about the future of Woodstock and Salt River and the opportunity we now have to create a new urban fabric where lower-income families live on well-located land close to public transport and work,’ said Councillor Herron.