A resolution passed by the City Council on Thursday, 26 July 2018, gets the ball rolling for the appointment of four specialist teams that will assist in expediting the delivery of housing opportunities across the city.
Following Council’s approval, the City of Cape Town’s Transport and Urban Development Authority (TDA) will now conclude the four contracts for the appointment of multi-disciplinary teams tasked with overseeing the successful implementation of housing developments.
‘These teams – one for each of the City’s four areas – will consist of a number of professionals. They will oversee and monitor the planning, design, and construction of thousands of housing opportunities across Cape Town,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron.
Since the contracts will be in place for longer than three years, the TDA first had to obtain Council’s approval before the signing of the contracts could go ahead.
‘The go-ahead from Council enables the TDA to streamline our planning processes, and thus, to expedite the delivery of housing opportunities. Given that the contracts are in place for longer than three years, it means we do not need to issue a new tender for the appointment of multi-disciplinary teams for each and every housing project in the medium term. This way, we already have a team of professionals ready in all four areas of the City who can immediately get working a new housing project,’ said Councillor Herron.
‘Initially, the multi-disciplinary teams will work on at least 12 housing developments across Cape Town. These developments will provide approximately 13 000 housing opportunities and together amount to an investment of approximately R184 million. They will also get working on new projects as these are approved and budgeted for. The housing opportunities will become available within the next two to three years, depending on the type of development and the area where the development is taking place,’ said the Councillor Herron.
The teams will also be responsible for the statutory land use applications and the environmental processes that will precede the housing developments.
‘At this stage we foresee that the developments will include all housing typologies including rental accommodation, site-and-serviced erven, double-storey units, double- and single-story semi-detached units, as well as double- and single-storey free-standing units. Where required, the developments will include community facilities, open spaces where residents can socialise, and commercial and retail opportunities. We are striving to create integrated and sustainable communities as far as possible so that the beneficiaries of these projects can have access to social amenities, work opportunities, and public transport,’ said Councillor Herron.
The contracts are funded from the Urban Settlements Development Grant, as well as from the Housing Development Capital Fund. The purpose of these funds is to expedite the delivery of housing opportunities by making funding available for specialist services that municipalities may need.
‘I am grateful that Council approved these contracts. The demand for decent housing is arguably one of the biggest challenges this administration is facing. We have to use all of the tools at our disposal to speed up delivery. Over the next five years, the TDA’s progressive and innovative approach is intended to yield more than 53 000 housing opportunities. We can achieve and even exceed this target by focusing on the delivery of social housing opportunities – this is State-subsidised rental opportunities, as well as through streamlined appointments and processes as approved by Council on Thursday,’ said Councillor Herron.